We're All Mad Here
by Olivia Dunham
Summary: Alice is now 26, and the time comes again when she must return to Wonderland, only this time she ends up bringing along a guest. People are disappearing in Wonderland - and its up to Alice to stop it, and save the only man she possibly ever loved. Burton.
1. Return

The wind blew soft tendrils of blonde hair about her face, her nose inhaling the scents of port mingled with the salty sea breeze. She smiled to herself, hands gripping the wooden railing of the ship. She reached up to tug her coat a bit more around her as the breeze picked up, her hair whipping about her face and stinging her cheeks.

"Miss. Kingsley! You can go ashore now!"

Alice turned regally toward the man who'd spoken and nodded, picking up her skirts and heading for the plank. There would be no one to greet her this time as she disembarked the ship. Her mother had passed on like her father, as had most of her elder friends. Of course, she still had her sister, but Margaret was too busy taking care of the new baby she had while Alice had been gone on one of her trips, so she hardly had the time to come and see her safely home. Not that it mattered – at the age of 26, Alice was more than capable of caring for herself.

Except on those nights when visions of evil Red Queens, strange talking animals, and a Hatter who was on the verge of madness plagued her dreams.

There was a carriage waiting for her when she got off the ship – the driver offer his hand to help her in but she declined, climbing in and settling herself on the seat, ready for the journey home. It would be relaxing to be able to sleep in her own bed, rather than on the hard mattress of a ship, or some sort of odd bed on the ground in China. She had returned after a long excursion over most of the world – they'd added three more posts. One in South Africa, one in Australia, and a second one in China, and Alice had personally gone to survey them herself.

Her gaze switched to watching out the window. Snow had started to gently fall, adding to the white blanket that already covered everything. The green of the trees had faded, only tangled dark branches barely visible against the white. Still, the forest would always be Alice's favorite place to be when she was home – it allowed her to have time to herself. She could really relax more once she was outside the confines of four walls.

But Alice still much preferred the forest when it was green.

_Green._

A pair of green eyes flashed across her mind, along with an old maroon hat with a pink ribbon. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that now. She was already a laughing stock of most of London society because of her silly stories – people often asked her to retell her stories to their children, while others just wanted to know the story so they could harp on about it to their snobbish friends and talk about Alice behind her back. She turned the other cheek and went about with her life. She had come to learn that it didn't matter if they believed her. It had happened, Alice knew it had, and that was all that mattered.

It'd been almost 7 years since her last visit. She'd promised to come back, but her new life had swept her up into a whirlwind of activity. She'd gone back to where she thought the tree had been, but had found no rabbit hole to jump through. She missed her friends, and was still somewhat determined to find her friends. Every time she saw a movement in the underbrush she would investigate, some part of her curious as if it were a white rabbit in a waistcoat running through the bushes, trying to lure her back to Wonderland once more.

But there were no rabbits in waistcoats, or holes to fall through. If she hadn't known better, she would have said it'd all been another dream.

The manor that had been left to her by her mother came into view as they emerged from the forest, turning down the long drive that led up to it. She lived alone, except for the various servants who catered to her, and the workers that kept the gardens and such in pristine condition. It was a rather beautiful home – her father had bought it before she'd been born, and she'd lived in the house all her life. It seemed almost odd without hearing her sister complain about something, or her mother to tell her to go back upstairs and put on her stockings – she still didn't wear those, or the corsets most people that was scandalous not to wear.

The carriage stopped nearly on the front steps and she got out, her boots crunching the gravel beneath her feet. She gazed up at the manor for a good long moment, taking in its beauty – she'd been away from home for far too long.

Once inside, she shed her coat and carefully hung it up on the rack in the hall, heading straight for her bedroom. It was her old one – she'd stayed in the same room since she was a little girl. The house was quiet as she turned down the hall, pushing open the door to her room. The first thing she did was pull off her shoes and the dress she wore – it was still a bit too proper for her tastes.

She caught her reflection in the mirror – 7 years had changed Alice. She was no longer the naïve 19 year old, but a flittering 26 year old with hair longer than she'd ever had it. She was still about the same height – she was thankful she'd stopped growing. She'd had enough shrinking and growing for a life time. Her skin was creamier, and a few more freckles could be seen under the pale make-up she wore, but otherwise, there weren't many changes. She still looked a bit too fragile, but she managed.

The sun was setting over the tops of the trees after she'd gotten a bath, so she changed into one of her pale blue nightgowns, pulled her boots back on, and tugged her coat back around her shoulders as she headed downstairs, heading for the gardens. They too were covered in snow, but paths had been cut between the hedges so she could walk without having to worry too much about the snow. It was chilly, but Alice didn't mind. The gardens were the only other place she could feel really connected with – with her deceased father, and Wonderland.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, hedges rising up on either side of her, snow still gently falling and sticking in her long curls. Tea suddenly sounded very good to her – she would have to make some before she went to bed.

Alice wandered to her usual spot in the center of the gardens – the fountain, whose water had frozen in the pipes and wasn't running at the moment. A thin layer of ice had formed on the top of the water in the pool of the fountain though, and she ran her fingers thoughtfully across the surface. It was as smooth as a looking glass.

Sighing, she glanced upward toward the sky, the stars glowing like pinholes in a black sheet. They twinkled, all winking back at her and she smiled slightly.

Something rustling in the bushes caught her attention. She turned, curious.

"Is someone there?" She called, but received no response. Of course not – she was being silly. The bushes rustled again, and Alice frowned. She crept forward toward them, brushing them aside – there was nothing there.

"Odd." She commented to herself. Maybe she'd just imagined it. The thought struck her as funny and she almost laughed a bit. After going through something like she had gone through, you just didn't imagine things anymore. They were real.

**. . .**

"I'd almost thought you'd forgotten." Margaret commented as Alice appeared in the doorway – considering the blanket of snow outside, the party was being held in the elegant manor Margaret and her husband called home.

"Not at all. Just running a bit behind. Still getting used to being on land and all." Alice replied quietly. Margaret nodded and took her by the arm, escorting her inside into the ballroom. There weren't as many people there as there had been at her once engagement party, but the number still surprised her. Some people turned up their nose as she walked in the room, others greeted her stiffly, and others involved her animatedly in their conversations, often questioning about her journeys overseas.

Alice's niece, Caroline, was bigger than she remembered, but still beautiful – pale blonde curls, stunning blue eyes, and creamy skin. She looked more like Margaret and Alice than Margaret's husband, who held her hand as Caroline looked about at the people all there for her. Her other hand clutched at the skirts of her blue dress, and Alice smiled fondly.

"Alice!"

Caroline was the one member of her family who actually liked hearing her stories. Alice swept the girl up into a hug as Caroline ran at her, laughing.

"Hey there. Have you been good while I've been gone?"

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded. "Could you tell me a story?"

"Maybe tonight, when there are less people, but not right now. You're supposed to be enjoying your birthday, after all." She smiled as Caroline giggled. Alice gave her a quick peck on the cheek before setting her down, allowing her to go back to her mother, bragging about how Alice was going to tell her a story later that night.

Dinner was ready only a half hour later, and Alice was seated on the other side of her sister – which was good, because she wasn't sure if Margaret's husband would start making out with her then and there. Old friends, sure. She still hadn't told her sister, not wanting to ruin her marriage, but Alice still harbored the secret, just in case it needed to be used at a later date.

A headache was beginning to flare up in the back of her mind, so just before dessert she excused herself and headed outside. The sun was just setting as she stepped down off the porch and began to follow a path that wound toward the forest, needing the peace and quiet. Crowds and parties gave her headaches often, so she was always wandering off by herself at some point during them, if not even going home. She would have gone home, but she didn't want to break her promise to her niece.

She followed the path out of the garden, heading across the grounds and in the general direction of the forest. It was dark now, making it a bit harder to see, but she could manage with the light of the moon. Someone would probably come out looking for her at some point, but Alice didn't care. Alice could handle herself. She'd killed a jabberwocky, hadn't she?

The snow crunched under her boots as she made a new path toward the forest, the hem of her white dress getting wet as she hadn't bothered to pick it up over the snow. She passed the first of the trees into the forest, absentmindedly running her fingers across the dead wood of the trees as she pushed the branches out of her way, ducking this way and that to avoid them. She was humming to herself now, a haunting melody that her father had used to sing when she couldn't sleep. But it wasn't long before the melody turned into a rhyming poem, the words falling easily from Alice's lips.

"Beware the jabberwock, my son. The jaws that bite, the claws that catch. Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch." She wasn't sure how she knew the poem, but reciting it seemed familiar to her, so she continued the silly thing as she walked through the trees.

"He took her vorpal sword in hand, long time the manxome foe he sought. So he rested by the Tumtum tree, and stood a while in thought."

"What are you rhyming?"

She turned, surprised to see Caroline there, wrapped in her favorite coat and boots tugged up to her knees. The snow almost came up to her knees, but she looked so adorable and innocent.

"Just an old poem a friend taught me." She shrugged, reaching for Caroline's hand. The girl grabbed hers and they continued to walk – no one would miss them if they continued on a short walk. Alice did owe her a story, after all. "So how about that story?"

Caroline nodded.

"Well, there once was a land called Wonderland, where nothing made sense. Animals talked, and a beautiful White Queen ruled. There was a Mad Hatter, a crazy March Hare, a set of twins, and a little dormouse. A little girl fell down a rabbit hole one day, after she'd been following a white rabbit in a waistcoat, and fell into Wonderland. She had a wonderfully mad tea party with the March Hare and the Hatter, talked to the flowers, and met the White Queen's older sister, the Red Queen. The woman was very horrible, and thankfully the little girl was able to get away, and soon returned to her own world."

"That's not a very happy ending." Caroline interrupted, frowning slightly. Alice chuckled.

"That's because I'm not done."

"Oh."

"Many years later, the girl returned to Wonderland. She found that the evil Red Queen had taken over, and was making people obey her with an evil Jabberwocky – a large beast that breathes fire and isn't very nice at all. The girl was supposed to save them, so she snuck in under the Red Queen's nose, grabbed the vorpal sword that would kill the jabberwocky, and hurried to the White Queen's palace on the back of a Bandersnatch, a large animal the Red Queen usually used against her enemies as well. The Red Queen and the White Queen led their forces against one another, and the girl ended up fighting the Jabberwocky, and beheaded him, saving Wonderland. The White Queen was returned to the throne, and banished her sister away forever."

"What about the girl?"

"She had to leave, and go back to her own home."

"But what about all her friends?"

"She would miss them, and probably still does miss them terribly." Alice replied. She did miss Wonderland and her friends, all quite terribly. She still regretted her decision to leave Wonderland ever so slightly – part of her wondered what would have happened had she stayed.

"That's sort of sad."

"It is, but she promised to come back and see her friends again."

"That's good."

The snow had stopped falling now for the most part, leaving Alice to tread through more of the white, some of the flakes having yet to melt in her hair. She's always sort of liked winter. Even though the forest wasn't as full, she and her father used to come out and play in the snow. Margaret and her mother had been often too proper to do as such, but she and her father loved it. She missed him when memories like that popped up. But now she got to teach Caroline all the secret things she had learned as a little girl – all the things Margaret would never teach her.

Alice's attention was caught by something in the snow – smaller footprints in a path that crossed the way she was going, heading east, deeper into the forest. Frowning slightly, her curiosity got the better of her and she began to follow them, Caroline trailing along beside her. She'd never seen tracks as such before, and wondered just what sort of animal they belonged to.

She followed the tracks into a small clearing where a pond lay, it's surface as smooth as glass from where it was frozen. In the center of it sat a little white rabbit – no waistcoat, this time – looking like he was shivering from the cold.

"You poor thing." Alice cooed, creeping forward, watching as it struggled to regain footing on the ice. She felt sorry for it, and finally took pity, gingerly stepping out onto the ice. The least she could do was help it.

Carefully she began to walk across the ice toward the center where the rabbit began to try and get away from her, obviously frightened.

"Don't worry – I'm not going to harm you." Alice said quietly. She took another step – something cracked beneath her feet. She froze, looking down. Her face was reflected in the surface, but a long crack cut it in half. The ice was cracking beneath her feet – well, she hadn't thought that one through very well.

She carefully leaned forward and managed to grab the rabbit by the scruff. It wriggled in her arms but she clutched it tighter to her chest, glancing around. The ice was cracking out from the center where she stood, into every direction possible. If she stood there, she was going to fall. If she tried to get off the ice, she would probably fall. Maybe she could manage to make a run for it?

Alice inhaled sharply, calming her nerves for a long moment. She could do this. It was just ice. She could make it to shore.

"Alice!" Caroline called from shore, running forward, sensing her distress.

"No Caroline! Stay there!"

The girl didn't listen, and ran out onto the ice.

Alice took another step, and felt the ice crumbled beneath her feet. She screamed, but it was lost as she fell through the surface, plunging into the icy waters below. It was freezing, feeling like thousands of tiny needles against her skin. Her breath made her cheeks bulge as she looked wildly about – everything was dark. She couldn't figure out which was the surface was. The rabbit was still clutched tightly in her arm, one arm waving wildly about trying to break free to find the surface, or at least try and find Caroline, who had plunged into the dark waters as well.

Her lungs burned like fire as the stinging cold pain finally gave way into numbness. She kicked her feet, swimming in one direction until her hand came into contact with something slick and cold – the ice on the surface. She pressed against it, trying to break it, but it was solid, even with the cracks running through it. She couldn't find the hole she'd fallen through, and with every passing second, her lungs burned even more.

She pounded on the ice, the rabbit forgotten as she used both hands. It didn't budge, and she could feel herself growing lightheaded from lack of oxygen. On reflex, her mouth opened and she tried to inhale, but only received a mouthful of water instead. She choked, lungs filling with fluid as her vision grew darker – everything disappeared.

**. . .**

The White Queen gazed fondly at the fountain in her gardens, pale fingers trailing lightly over the surface as a smile graced her lips. The familiar girl's face had appeared, her lips a pale blue in color, but none the less she was there. She glanced over at the white rabbit perched carefully on the edge of the fountain, nose twitching as he too watched the vision. The Queen waved a hand across the water and it rippled, disappearing.

"Alice is returning. Our champion has come to save us once more." The White Queen smiled, folding her hands into her skirts.

"When?" The rabbit asked.

"Tonight."

"Should I go inform the others?"

"No, not yet. She'll be here soon enough." The White Queen looked back at the fountain, an odd look coming over her face. "How odd. She's bringing a guest."

**. . .**

Alice woke up screaming, gasping for breath. Her lungs inflated with the warm crisp air around her, the burning disappearing after a few deep breaths. Crouched on the ground, she forced her breathing to regulate as her head finally came out of its fog, allowing her to briefly survey her surroundings.

The sun was bright overhead as she sat on the bank of a pond, who's surface was as smooth as glass. She was in the clearing of a forest – except for the fact on the other side of the pond, small cliffs rose up before leveling out to the ground. The trees around her were full of green, blooming with different colored flowers on their branches. The colors were bright and stunning, almost too bright to be real.

She picked herself up off the ground, still soaking wet. Her dress clung to her like a second skin, her hair plastered across her neck and forehead. She shed herself of her shoes, kicking them away as they were ruined. She tugged what bobby pins were left in her hair out and tossed them aside too. Half of her wanted to strip off the soaking wet dress, but she didn't, not knowing who was lurking around.

Her gaze fell on the tiny body collapsed on the bank a few feet away. Alice made her way over to Caroline's collapsed form. Kneeling down, she gently rolled the girl over, reaching for a pulse. She found one, breathing a sigh of relief before her hand came up to rest against the girl's cheek.

"Caroline, come on. Wake up." She murmured. It was a long moment before the girl's eyes fluttered open, her baby blues clouded with confusion.

"Alice?"

"Hey there. It's okay." She said and carefully scooped Caroline up into her arms.

Her next problem came with the fact that she realized she wasn't quite in England anymore. It had been winter there, and it appeared to be summer here. And they didn't have such foliage in London, either, so that was out.

So just where was she?

Part of her wanted to believe that she was in Wonderland. It's what her better part was telling her, but she knew that couldn't be possible. She hadn't fallen down a rabbit hole or any of the sort.

Sighing, she knew there was only one way to find out – find someone or something and ask them. Picking up her skirts, she began to walk toward the small path that was visible between two trees, a little part of her hoping that at any moment a mad Hatter would pop out from behind a tree and ask her why a raven was like a writing desk. Caroline leaned against her shoulder, her fingers curling around Alice's wet dress, too tired to really question where they were for now.

He'd told her she wouldn't remember, but she did. People didn't believe her – thought her stories were just something she had made up to entertain herself and what others would listen to her. Most thought her mad – mad as a hatter. Her lips quirked upward at the thought.

She pushed branches from her face as she walked along the narrow path – it wasn't getting any darker or lighter in the forest, leaving her wondering just which way to go. She stopped for a long moment, glancing left and right, sighing, mentally admitting she was probably lost. Then again, if it was Wonderland, one didn't get lost. You merely got found.

"Well, well, well." A familiar drawling voice could be heard and Alice turned, trying to locate it. A large grin appeared below a branch before the eyes appeared, then the rest of the cat, who was hanging upside down on the branch by his tail. "If it isn't Alice, come back to save us."

"Save you from what?" She questioned, frowning as she dropped her skirts, feeling Caroline shift in her arms to look at the cat. The cat only smiled at her, floating through the air toward her. It settled around her shoulders, tail curling around her face. It tickled her nose and she waved it away – it turned to smoke.

"The White Queen will be able to tell you better than I can." His disembodied voice echoed around her.

"From your story?" Caroline asked, curious now. "And that kitty can fly! Is this a dream, Alice?"

Alice could only ignore her.

"Will you take me to her then?"

"Don't you remember the way?"

"Of course not. It's been 7 years."

The cat chuckled, appearing inches in front of her face. She gave a startled cry, stumbling back, clutching Caroline tighter to her.

"Time has no meaning here." He replied lazily.

"Just please take me to the White Queen." She insisted. "We would like to get out of these wet things."

"Fine, fine." He sighed, trailing off the path to the left. "Come along, little Alice and friend, and I'll show you the way. But only to the White Queen, and no more."


	2. Hearts

_Okay, I know in Burton's version the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts are the same person, but for this I'm changing it. _

**. . .**

The White Queen was waiting for the young girl on the steps of the palace, along with the white rabbit at her feet. The cat appeared near the Queen's legs as well as Alice approached, clutching at her damp skirts – which were now dirtied with mud and the like from walking through the forest. Caroline slept against her shoulder.

"Hello Alice." She greeted regally as the girl reached her. "You've come at such a perfect time."

"Why's that?"

The White Queen looked up at the sky for a long moment – Alice followed her gaze, surprised to see storm clouds rolling in. Lightning flashed within them, thunder just barely heard. Alice frowned – she couldn't remember it ever raining in Wonderland.

"Perhaps we better speak inside." The White Queen murmured, placing an arm around Alice's shoulders and escorting her inside. The palace was just as she remembered, just less quiet than it used to be. The thought made Alice wonder – but her thoughts were being slowly absorbed by one major thought: where was Hatter?

Alice was taken to change clothes, and Caroline to be put to bed in another guest room. Once Alice had pulled on a light blue gown not unlike the White Queen's, she was escorted to the parlor, barefoot, where the White Queen was sipping at a cup of tea. The March Hare sat on her other side, muttering to himself as he slurped rather loudly on his own cup of tea.

"You look lovely when you're not in wet clothes." The woman commented. "Those old dresses of mine sure fit you well. Should you choose to stay with us this time around, you're more than welcome to them." She folded her hands in her lap, the fingers curling around the soft fabric of her gown after she'd gestured for Alice to have a seat. Stay? It was a thought that barely crossed her mind – did she want to stay this time?

But that wasn't something to worry about now. She had more important matters to discuss.

"What is it I'm supposed to be doing now? Another jabberwocky?" Alice inquired. The White Queen sighed, watching out the large windows of the parlor as rain began to fall gently, pelting the windows softly. Thunder rumbled overhead.

"Things are not right in Wonderland."

"Is it your sister again?"

"Part of it, yes." She nodded, turning back to face Alice, who was now clutching her own teacup with pale hands. She was finally regaining some color in her face, her lips no longer the pale blue they'd been when she'd first arrived. Alice frowned.

"You banished her, though."

"Yes, but you see, sometimes there are ways around that." The White Queen said softly. "My sister, the Red Queen, has teamed up with our middle sibling, the Queen of Hearts."

"You have another sister?"

"Yes. She and I ruled Wonderland from the West and East jointly, until Iracebeth decided to take over. Her palace is in the East, on the other side of the chessboard desert, where I banished our eldest sister and the Knave Ilosovic to." The elder woman stared into her teacup. "The Queen of Hearts is more dangerous than the Red Queen, which is why I'm quite worried." 

"I thought the Red Queen was the Queen of Hearts?"

"So many people make the mistake of getting those two confused." The White Queen murmured. "The Queen of Hearts actually attempts to be nice when you first meet her, but its only a front so she could pull you in to her dark little schemes." She wrinkled her nose. "Iracebeth was just plain mean. Didn't even try to play fair. Not even as a kid when she used to steal my toys. . . ." There was a bitter note to the Queen's tone. Alice cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So you'd like me to help you fight against her?" Alice was easily accepting this information better now – if she'd been told this the first time, she would have rejected it. But this was her third time in Wonderland, and the fact that she was destined to save it wasn't a new concept to her.

"As you know, I can't fight. Its against my vows. But first, facing the Queen of Hearts by yourself isn't wise. We'll need a few friends."

"Like the Hatter?"

The White Queen's face grew sad, Alice noticed, and looked at her with eyes that were slightly misted over.

"That's another part." She said slowly, and Alice's breath hitched in her throat. "The two have started capturing the residents of Wonderland – animal and human alike – and throwing them in a prison hidden deep within the forest that connects here and the east of Wonderland. The Hatter was taken as one of them, as well as the Tweedle Twins, not to mention the numerous animals. Anyone accused of helping you, or I, is being imprisoned."

"Then I'm going to save him."

"Alice?"

Both of them looked up to see Caroline standing in the doorway to the parlor, looking at the White Queen and March Hare with widened eyes. The White Queen beckoned and Caroline came forward, allowing the woman to pull her into her arms, smoothing down the little dress that she had changed into so she wouldn't be stuck in the freezing wet clothes.

"Well aren't you a precious little creature." The White Queen murmured, brushing curls from Caroline's face. The little girl looked at Alice curiously, then up at the White Queen.

"You're very pretty. Are you a Princess?"

"I used to be, but I'm a Queen now."

"Ma'am, this is my niece, Caroline. Caroline, this is the White Queen." Alice said slowly, unsure of how the child would react, considering Alice had only told her the story the previous night. Caroline's eyes grew wide, her attention flickering back to the White Queen, then toward Alice once more.

"Like the story?"

"Yes. Exactly like the story."

"Where's your evil sister?" Caroline asked and Alice laughed, unable to contain it. The White Queen herself chuckled.

"I see you've been telling stories." She said to Alice, and then looked at Caroline. "That's nothing you need to worry about, darling." She said gently. Caroline narrowed her eyes at Alice.

"Are you the girl in the story, Aunt Alice?"

Alice smiled.

"Maybe." She replied.

"Then where are your other friends?"

". . . they're, er, hiding."

"Like hide and seek? The game Tommy plays with me?"

"Exactly like that." Alice nodded, glancing toward the White Queen, who gave her a slightly puzzled look, but said nothing.

"Nivens!" The woman called and the white rabbit in the waistcoat appeared, hopping along. Caroline's eyes lit up at the sight and she wriggled off the White Queen's lap, entranced by him.

"Yes?"

"Would you kindly take Caroline and show her the rest of the castle? Help her make a few friends while I finish talking with Alice."

"Of course."

Once the two were off and running, the Queen turned back to Alice.

"This could complicate things. If either of them find out there's a child here that you've brought, they'll use her against you."

"If I'm going to go after Hatter and the others first, could Caroline stay here, with you? She's safe here, isn't she?"

"For now, but I'm not sure how much longer that safety will last." She said, a bit of fear lacing her soothing tones as she glanced back toward the windows, watching the rain continue to fall. Alice frowned, looking down into her now cold mug of tea now.

She could only imagine Hatter in a prison – he wouldn't be able to deal with it long. Not to mention the twins, and the others the Queen had been talking about. It disturbed her, but Alice was going to save him and the others. She had to.

"But tonight, you should rest. I'll have horses ready for you tomorrow – Chessur knows the way to the prison deep within the forest, so he can accompany you. Mallymkun, Thackery, and Bayard can go with you as well." She nodded toward the March Hare when she said Thackery, and the dog Alice hadn't noticed before laying near the windows, who lifted his head at the sign of his name.

"I most certainly will not!" Mallymkun, the dormouse, protested from somewhere, and Alice looked down, surprised to find her on the table.

"Mallymkun," The White Queen sighed. "Please."

The white mouse glared. "Fine, but only for Tarrant and you, Queen Mirana." She folded her arms across her chest.

"Tarrant?" Alice asked questioningly – it was the only name she didn't recognize.

"The Hatter's real name." The White Queen said. "Despite most rumors, we do have actual names. I suppose it's just easier to call us the other things you seemed so fond of as a child – although, I have a suspicion you probably couldn't have pronounced our names when you were little." She smiled faintly. "Now come. I'll show you where you can stay – Caroline can have the room next to yours."

Alice soon found herself in a bedroom just as white as the rest of the castle. The bed had silk covers, and a silver vanity sat in the corner next to a large wardrobe full of what she assumed to be the Queen's old dresses. She had a balcony as well, that overlooked the gardens.

So the Hatter really had a name – Tarrant. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not. He would still be the Hatter to her though.

As she stepped out onto the balcony, running a silver handled brush through her hair, she thought briefly of Margaret, and wondered if she had sent out the search parties to look for her and Caroline yet. Surely they would find their tracks in the snow that led to the pond, and the broken ice – maybe they'd think she and Caroline had died. Alice felt bad for the girl who had been taken from her mother, but oddly enough Caroline didn't seem to mind as much, considering she hadn't said one word about Margaret since they'd arrived. Then again, she seemed so enraptured with Wonderland – Underland, rather - that she could only talk excitedly about it and nothing else.

She leaned against the railing of the balcony, looking out across the gardens. The White Queen could be seen below, speaking with several members of her court, but Alice couldn't hear what they were saying. Her thoughts once again turned to the Hatter – he seemed to be at the forefront of her mind, always lingering. Not that she minded. She liked the Hatter. He was truly her friend, and was one of the rare people Alice could call such.

She hummed lightly to herself as she thought about tomorrow. Chessur would be showing them the way to the prison in the woods – which was no longer than a day's journey, as she'd come to learn - and they'd free the Hatter, the twins, and the others that had been captured. Caroline would remain with the White Queen here at the palace, safe and out of harms way. The last thing Alice wanted was for something to happen to the girl.

With thoughts of tomorrow stored away in her mind, she drifted back inside and crawled into bed, going to attempt to get a good night's rest.

. . .

The rain had disappeared by morning, making it a clear day to be riding. Alice hadn't rode a horse in quite some time, so it took a bit for her to adjust to the white stallion as Chessur floated along lazily in front of her. Mallymkun sat precariously on top of the horse's head as they followed a rocky path along a ridge, the last towers of the White Queen's castle fading behind the trees behind them. Bayard trotted along beside the horse, and Thackery muttering to himself as he hurried along, clutching a chipped tea cup in his shaking paws.

"So this prison. . . ." Alice began, speaking to whoever was listening. "Is it bad?"

"Knowing the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts, yes." Mallymkun said, twisting to look at Alice. "From what I've heard, they keep people there and make them mine diamonds and the like to be used at the palace. It's near the same mines most of the marble came from that was used to build Queen Mirana's palace."

"That's horrible!"

"I know. We'll get them out of there though – it might be hard, but after all, you're Alice. It's almost a law that you can't fail."

She almost laughed at the silly thought, but didn't, instead tightening her grip on the reins of the horse as they continued. This part of the forest looked familiar, and it wasn't long before she understood why.

They emerged into a clearing, and she pulled her horse to a stop, surprised at the sight before her.

The foundation of a windmill was all that was left in the place where it had once been, obviously having been burned down. Tables were overturned, teapots and other plates and pottery shattered against the ground next to the splinters of chairs. Thackery had stopped muttering and was staring at the sight almost sadly. Alice slid off the horse and landed elegantly on her feet – she was wearing her boots again, with the dark green dress she had pulled on that morning.

Crossing the clearing, she picked up a battered, slightly singed, maroon colored hat with a faded pink ribbon tied around it. The tag had been burned, but she had memorized the lettering – 'in this size, 10/6.'

"You're holding us up, _Aliiiiiiiice_." Chessur said, dragging out her name. "I don't fancy having to spend more time than I have to leading you there."

She glanced up, clutching the brim of the hat almost like a lifeline. She knew it was bad, if the Hatter didn't have his hat. Almost as if it were the most breakable thing in the world, she gently carried it back to the horse and managed to climb up onto the animal, urging it into a fast trot to catch up with Chessur.

Without much else to do with it, Alice swept aside her blonde curls and placed the hat on her head.

They traveled in silence for an hour, before Mallymkun spoke up, now resting on the brim of the hat.

"You look different than you used to."

Alice glanced up, confused.

"It's been almost 7 years. Of course I do."

"Sorry – we don't age here. But you – don't people in your world die from age?" She asked, and Alice almost nodded, before remembering she was on the hat.

"They can, if they're old enough. We start off as children, and grow into adults before we die of age." She explained. "Doesn't that happen here? Surely you have children here."

"Of course we do. They're born and age, but after a while they just sort of stop growing."

"How odd." Alice commented. "But I suppose I should get used to the odd things around here. This is my third time here, after all."

"If you decide to stay this time too, you'll eventually stop aging as well."

"I don't know if I'm staying this time or not. I've got to get Caroline back."

"I don't see why not. She loves it here, it seems."

"If you two would kindly be quiet back there, we're going to be nearing the place soon, and I'd rather not be caught before we even get into the place." Chessur said, turning around to look at them. Alice and Mallymkun silenced instantly.

"Oh, and I do hope you have a plan on just how you're going to go about breaking them out of this place."


	3. Rescue

"When I said 'plan', this isn't quite what I had in mind."

"Try not to speak. And look miserable."

Chessur grumbled something under his breath as Alice pulled on the black mask – it covered the area around her eyes so she wouldn't be recognized. Then again, considering the amounts of black robes she had on, no one would recognize her. Chessur had stolen them from one of the guards that patrolled the area around the prison. Mallymkun and Thackery were remaining with the horse in a clearing not far away, while Chessur and Alice continued with their rescue plan.

"Oh, boo hoo. I'm so miserable. I've been caught." Chessur said in a flat tone, and Alice looked at him. It was like looking in a mirror, except the odd green cat eyes that had replaced her blue ones. Chessur had taken on her form, and pulled on the dress she'd been wearing. He was playing distraction, while Alice attempted to find the Hatter.

"I don't sound like that." She wrinkled her nose. Chessur merely chuckled. Attempting to look rough, Alice grabbed his arm tightly, jerking him closer toward her as they began to march forward, stepping out onto the path. Just ahead, between the trees, a small one-story building sat. Chessur had assured her that it was only a front, that the real prison was underground, in the mines.

"Stop!" A rough voice called – it was one of the guards standing at the front of the building, dressed in the same clothes she was.

"I'm escorting our latest prisoner to high security, on orders of the Queens." Alice said in a deeper voice, trying to sound better than a frightened woman. She was actually nearly trembling, her fingers shaking as they clutched Chessur's arm. "It's Alice." She added, and this finally sparked a reaction from the two guards.

"Alice? Well then, I guess you better lock her up good and tight. They've got a vacant cell in high security."

"I'm also to check on the Mad Hatter, and the Tweedle Twins. I'm to question them to see if they have anything to do with helping this girl back into Wonderland." She said, hoping they wouldn't notice the way her tone faltered.

"No one is allowed to see them."

"I have orders from the Queens." She stated a bit more firmer. The guards exchanged glances, before finally nodding.

"Fine. Those idiots are in high security is well. I'm sure you know the way." The other grumbled as they opened the doors to let her pass inside. She gave Chessur a rough shove, and the doors closed behind them.

The room was large, and white, and looked nothing like a prison. Just a big empty room. Alice frowned, stepping forward. Her foot sunk down in the tiled floor a bit, and she was surprised when it acted as a trigger, opening a trap door in the floor that led to a set of stairs.

"Down there?" She whispered and Chessur only nodded, forcing Alice to watch her own blonde curls bob up and down with the motion. She nodded, and tugged Chessur along, but still trying not to hurt him as they descended the stairs.

She was greeted by a nasty smell, and rows upon rows of cells. Guards patrolled the hall, but paid her no mind. The stairs kept going down, so she continued down them, surprised when they started to curl. They passed more and more halls of cells – just how many people had the Queens locked up? It seemed to be plenty.

The walls grew darker and rougher looking the more they descended, and by the sounds of grinding and machinery, she could guess they were close to the mines by now. She glanced around, and Chessur tugged slightly.

"To your left." He whispered and Alice glanced left – the cells she was looking at were in the darkest part of the place, actually built into the rock itself. There were no guards here, except on either side of the landing she had stopped on – it had been like that at each landing above as well. Without a word, she stepped forward, shoving Chessur ahead of her as they continued toward the cells.

"Alice?"

Faint voices whispered on either side of her as she pushed Chessur past the cells, and familiar animals and creatures pressed against the bars. Her heart reached out to them – as soon as she could, she was going to try and get them all out of the horrid place.

"Which one?" She asked softly and Chessur tugged her toward the end of the line of cells. She glanced back – the guards weren't even paying attention. Some security they had around here.

They approached one of the cells, and Alice relaxed slightly when she saw the twins sitting on the ground, looking as if they'd been crying, stuck in their tattered clothes.

"Tweedles?" She whispered faintly and they looked up, their gaze lifting toward Chessur, believing him to be Alice. Their eyes widened.

"Alice!" They chorused, standing and coming toward the bars – they looked even worse up close. One had a black eye, the other had several cuts along his face.

"I'm not Alice, dimwits." Chessur grumbled as Alice gently tugged the mask aside for a brief moment.

"I'm Alice."

"What are - -."

" - - you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue you." She said and they smiled sadly.

"There's no way - -."

" - - out of here."

"Then we'll find one. I told them I was to take you in for questioning, to find out if you'd had anything to do with Alice's," She paused, grabbing Chessur tighter. "return to Wonderland. So I'm sure we can figure a way out of here. I've just got to find -."

"Alice?"

The voice was hoarse, almost a whisper so Alice wasn't sure if she'd heard it properly or not. It had come from the cell next to the Tweedle Twin's cell, so she directed her attention toward it, briefly glancing back at the guards to make sure they still weren't watching – they weren't.

A pale of pale hands had wrapped themselves around the bars of the cell, and Alice's heart fluttered in her chest for a fleeting moment, until she caught sight of the Hatter, pressed against the bars. Her heart felt like it was snapping in half after that. He looked pale – even more than usual – and his eyes had lost their characteristic spark. He was shallow, and obviously underfed, and new bruises were appearing along his cheek, underneath barely healed cuts.

"Tarrant . . . ." Alice murmured, pulling away her mask to reveal that it was indeed her. She reached a hand through the bars and brushed it against his cheek, and he visibly flinched as she accidentally brushed one of the cuts.

"Alice . . . is that really you?"

"Of course. And my answer is Edgar Allen Poe."

He looked confused.

"Answer?"

"To your riddle – why a raven is like a writing desk. Edgar Allen Poe wrote on both of them." That time he managed to crack a grin. Without waiting another moment, Alice fumbled with the keys Chessur had grabbed off the guard when he'd grabbed the clothes. She grabbed one of the keys at random and tried it in the lock, but to no avail. She went through several more keys, until one of them finally unlocked the door and she swung it open. She proceeded to free the twins, silently shutting the cell doors back.

"Just follow my lead." Alice murmured, tugging her mask back on. She gently forced the three forward toward the stairs.

"Halt! Just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm on orders of the Queens to take these four into questioning about threats to the throne, and the location of other rebellions against the Queens." Alice said, standing a bit straighter as she tried her best to look intimidating. She usually wasn't the type to look as such, so she was struggling with the look. The guards glared at her.

"We've received no word about that. This lot is supposed to be under maximum security."

"It's on a need to know basis, so you two obviously didn't need to know." Alice stated, coming up with it all off the top of her head, feeling much like she was in front of the Red Queen again, saying her name was Um from Umbridge. "And they're going to be under the best security once I get them to where they're going." She assured.

"Where might that be?"

Alice faltered slightly, and the guards raised their weapons – long swords that looked rather dangerous.

"I don't think so."

One of them reached for her mask, but instead Alice felt a tugging on the sleeve of the clothes she wore.

"Run!"

She wasted no time in running. Chessur had disappeared, and Hatter and the twins now ran along on either side of her. She tripped and stumbled in the clothes, but managed to keep her balance as they headed for the other end of the hall – she could hear the guards calling in for reinforcements and she mentally kicked herself for not having thought it all the way through.

There was another set of stairs at the end of the hall of cells, this one much narrower and forcing them to go up one by one. Hatter was leading the way, his hand firmly wrapped around Alice's wrist and tugging her along. Whatever pain he had been in before had apparently disappeared as they climbed higher and higher in the stairs.

"Where do these lead? There was only one stair case in the building I entered from!" Alice called.

"This set of stairs run from the surface to the marble mines – the tunnels are just on the other side of this wall." Hatter muttered. "The stairs should emerge in the forest, and we can hide there."

Alice could only nod, her legs screaming in pain because of the amount of stairs they were running up, the sounds of the guards only steps behind them. So maybe this hadn't been the best plan.

The dim light suddenly changed as Hatter shoved open a trap door and Alice's eyes flooded with light from the sun. She blinked at the rapid change of light, but Hatter still tugged her forward.

"Wait!" She cried, jerking him to a stop. "Mallymkun and Thackery are this way. We need to get back to the White Queen." She said.

"Lead the way."

Alice turned and began to run toward the west, crashing through the trees and pushing branches and leaves from her face as she ran. She stumbled and tripped over the roots of trees, but managed to keep her speed as they emerged into the clearing where the others waited.

"Tarrant!" Mallymkun cried, but Hatter cut across her.

"No time! Let's go!" He said as Alice climbed up onto the horse. He scrambled on behind her, scooping the dormouse up in one fell swoop and putting her on his shoulder to ride. The twins ran ahead, in the general direction of the White Queen's castle, urging the horse in the same direction with Thackery running along side, yelling words she couldn't quite make out – not that she was sure she wanted to.

**. . .**

Alice's head lolled against Hatter's shoulder as she drifted in and out of consciousness, her hands limply gripping the reins of the horse. They were nearing the White Queen's palace, having outrun the guards – for now. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Queens sent people to recapture them.

He shifted slightly on the horse, carefully managing to hold Alice's limp form up at the same time. He smiled ever so slightly when he realized the horse was wearing his hat – he gently reached around Alice and grabbed it, replacing it on his head with a little flourish.

"I have to say it looks much better on you than it does her." The dormouse muttered from her place on his shoulder and the Hatter let out a little laugh – the image of Alice in his hat that his mind had procured sure seemed like a rather funny image. He winced though, realizing that laughing hurt. He was almost sure that one of his ribs had been cracked, not to mention the bruises and cuts along his body. His clothes covered a lot of them, and he was glad Alice could only see the few that marred his face.

Bayard ran ahead suddenly, barking loudly as the torrents of the White Queen's castle appeared. Alice jerked, awaking with a loud yawn, her wide blue eyes blinking as she tried to clear her thoughts.

"We made it." He heard her murmur.

The White Queen greeted them at the gate, ushering them inside. Alice was nearly dead on her feet as she walked along, tripping and stumbling sleepily over the clothes.

"Maybe you should head to bed, Alice. You've done quite a lot today and deserve it." The White Queen murmured, but she shook her head.

"I need to see Caroline."

"She's sleeping."

Alice glanced between her and the Hatter, frowning when she realized that he was still hurt.

"Can I have use of your kitchen and access to some first aid things?" She asked, suddenly much more awake and alert.

"Of course. I'll have Nivens bring you some things." The White Queen nodded. "Just make sure you get some sleep." She added to Alice, who nodded in return. She grabbed Hatter by the sleeve of his coat – which was torn in many places now – and began to lead the way toward the kitchen. She sat him down on a stool, surprised to find there were already first aid things waiting for her on the counter.

"You don't have to do that." Hatter muttered as she tugged off his hat to get it out of her way. She pulled a stool up after grabbing some sort of cream that was labeled as some sort of disinfectant.

"You don't want them to get infected, and there's no Bandersnatch around here to lick them clean." She murmured. "And I doubt Chessur will lick you."

He chuckled, which turned into a hiss as she spread the cream across several of his cuts. She frowned, giving him an apologetic look.

"Sorry."

He only nodded, jaw clenched as she continued to rub it gently across his cuts along his face and neck, being especially careful when she came to the ones that overlapped the bruises.

"It's horrible they did this to you." She said after a long moment of silence. He shrugged.

"It's nothing compared to what they could of done." He said in a dark tone, his eyes reflecting a dark red for the briefest of moments. It didn't go unnoticed by Alice, who tried her best to ignore it.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Not coming back sooner. Maybe if I had, none of this would have happened."

"If you would have come back earlier, they probably would have already captured and killed you." He said. It was odd, hearing him speak so seriously – usually when he did he was about to fly into one of his fits. But he didn't and remained perfectly still as she finished rubbing the cream across his cuts.

"Aunt Alice!"

She looked up, but it was too late as Caroline had already attached herself to her leg, nearly making Alice fall into the counter. She placed the container of cream down and wiped her hands along the robes she still wore before lifting Caroline up into her arms.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Yep. Queen Mirana played with me in the garden while you were gone."

"Well, that was very nice of her. Did you thank her?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good girl." Alice pressed a kiss to her forehead and Caroline giggled, before looking over at the Hatter. Her grin slipped into an even bigger one.

"Are you one of Aunt Alice's friends from her story?"

"I don't know. Do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?" He asked in return and Caroline shook her head with a small giggle.

"Caroline, this is Tarrant Hightop, otherwise known as the Mad Hatter." Alice introduced. "Hatter, this is my niece, Caroline."

"She looks like you when you were little." Hatter said and Alice smiled.

"As I've been told." She murmured.

"Mr. Hatter, will you play with me?" Caroline asked suddenly. Alice frowned.

"Caroline, I don't think -." She began, but Hatter cut across her.

"Depends on if you like tea or not, Miss. Caroline."

"I love tea!"

"Well then, I think you and I will get along quite fabulously. You see, I knew your lovely aunt when she was younger, and she didn't like tea as much as you seem to." He said and Caroline giggled. Hatter looked at Alice. "Go get some rest. I'll look after her for a while."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. And in the meantime, I'll see if I can't find another riddle to stump you with."


	4. Escape

Alice stretched and yawned, rolling over onto her side. She was greeted by rays of sunlight streaming across her face, warm and welcoming as they filtered through the clear windows of her room. She could have laid there all day, content and happy as could be. Then she remembered she had to save Wonderland, again, and eventually find a way back home.

Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and standing, she crossed toward the balcony doors and threw them open to let the warm breeze blow in as she changed into a long lavender dress – the back of it laced up like the corsets she never wore, but not nearly as tight. It was pretty, at least, so Alice had no objections. She pulled on a pair of flat white shoes and stepped out onto the balcony, humming slightly to herself.

"And she finally emerges!"

She looked down at the voice and laughed – Mallymkun and Thackery had set up a long table in the gardens, piled with plenty of assorted teapots, teacups, sugar bowls, spoons, and pastries, with chairs of every side. Mirana, Tarrant, Caroline, Nivens, and the Twins all sat in various places around the table, laughing as Thackery ordered them to 'move down' one seat for a clean cup, and attempting to avoid his violent throwing of cups.

"How late did I sleep?" She called.

"Time has no meaning!" The White Queen's voice drifted up, reminding Alice once more that time did not have meaning in Wonderland. She was going to have to remember that. "But it's still morning, if that's what you refer to."

"Come down and join the party Aunt Alice!" Caroline called with a giggle.

"I'll be there in a moment!"

Not daring to disobey her friends, she slipped out of her room and followed the stairs down, heading out into the gardens. She was surprised they were already involved in a party, as they had only broken out of prison yesterday, but she guessed there was no stopping Hatter and the March Hare from their tea, and involving everyone else around them in on the party.

"So is this what they would call the calm before the storm?" Alice asked Mirana quietly, sitting down between her and Hatter.

"Sorry?"

"This. Having fun before I have to go off and fight your sisters."

"Ah. I suppose you could say that. We've got to come up with a way to get into their castle – but getting there without being detected is the first problem. They have their guards all over Wonderland."

"No talking about that at this table!" Thackery nearly screamed, throwing a teacup at Alice. She ducked, laughing.

"Yes, sir." She gave a mock solute before grabbing an already filled cup of tea. Across the table, Caroline had chucked another empty cup in Thackery's general direction.

"Clean cup! Move down!" Hatter called and grabbed Alice, tugging her down another seat, making her drop her cup of tea that she'd just been about to take a sip of.

"Oh no! We're not going through this again! Last time this happened I never did get any tea." Alice said, settling onto the wooden stool that had been the next seat down. "Come to think of it, I've never had any tea at any of your parties – something has always come up!"

"Well then, you must try this tea! Miss. Caroline helped me make it." Hatter announced with a flourish, shoving a teacup toward her. She pretended to make a show of taking a large gulp – it was almost cold, but that was perfectly fine, as it tasted rather wonderful.

"Well, I must say this is the best tea I've ever tasted!"

Mirana laughed softly at Alice's display, sipping daintily on her own cup, full of class as always.

"Mister Hatter told me how you beat the evil jabberwocky, Aunt Alice! Tell me the full story, please?" Caroline asked suddenly, looking at Alice with wide eyes and a pleading look on her face, making it impossible to refuse. She sighed, nodding.

"There's not much to tell really. I just sort of killed it so the White Queen could have her crown back." Alice explained. Caroline blinked at her.

"But Mister Hatter said you cut its head off."

"I did."

"Sounds cool." She grinned. Alice shook her head – Caroline was not a normal child, if she thought decapitation was 'cool'.

"I hardly even knew what I was doing. I'd never handled a sword in my life – I was only hoping it wouldn't come down to me fighting the Red Queen with my bare hands. I wanted to throttle her. No offense." She added the last bit to the woman on her right. The White Queen shrugged.

"None taken. Although, I must say that having you schooled in a bit of self-defense might be a good idea." She glanced on Alice's other side.

"No problem!" Hatter grinned as big as Chessur, grabbing Alice and pulling her from her chair. He was always so forward and pushy with his actions. She found herself a little ways away in a clear spot, facing the Hatter. The others at the table were now watching them with interest.

"What exactly is it we're doing?"

"I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself." He said brightly. It was hard to believe that just the day before he'd looked like some sort of broken man that had been stuck in prison.

"Tarrant, no. I don't want you to hurt yourself. All those cuts -."

"I'll be quite fine, Alice. I won't be harmed by any cuts, nor if you even manage to punch me in the nose." He replied, and Alice looked appalled.

"I would never do such a thing!"

"If you want to defend yourself, you'll have to." He told her. "Now, I want you to try and attack me."

"Hatter -."

"Alice."

She glared at him for a long moment, but all he did was grin at her. She cast a wary glance at the onlookers from the table, letting out a sigh as she finally raised her hands, curled into fists. There was a long pause before she warily stepped closer toward him. He only stood there, watching her intently.

Shutting her eyes, she lunged at him, throwing a punch.

The next thing she knew, the breath had been knocked out of her, and Hatter had her pinned to the cobblestone path. She stared up at him, surprised. He rolled off her, extending a hand to help her up. She accepted, and he tugged her to her feet.

"You can't hurt me Alice. Now try again, and don't shut your eyes. Try to predict the best way to attack, based on how you know I'm going to try to defend myself." Hatter explained, and Alice nodded, before running at him again. This time he grabbed her hand as she had aimed for his chest, and gently shoved her away. It was enough of a push to send her stumbling back. She frowned.

"Try again."

Determined now, Alice silently shifted left, and then right, debating her next move. Going for the chest would result in her pushed back, and toward the face would put her on the ground. Chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip, a sudden smile came to her face. She stepped forward, prepared to hit him.

Her left arm came up, acting as though she were about to hit him. Like she had planned, he reacted too soon, and she was able to duck under his arm as it came up. Her fist contacted with his spine and he stumbled forward, whirling, turning to attack her again. She circled behind him, out of his line of sight and landed another – gentle – hit to his arm. Reacting, his arm came up and hit her in the temple. She winced, disoriented for a moment, but it gave him enough time to turn back around.

"You're doing better. Keep going." Hatter encouraged as he came toward her. This time he attacked first, and she sidestepped him, watching closely his every move. His leg shot out to try and trip her, but she turned, avoiding. His arms came around and grabbed her, pulling her thrashing form back against his body to restrain her. She stomped on his foot – a trick she had learned quite some time ago – and he let go.

Alice turned, only to be slammed to the ground. Hatter pinned her arms on either side of her head, leaning over her with a mad grin.

"Still too slow, Alice."

Thinking of another trick – this one learned from her sister – her knee came up, nailing Hatter in the groin. He rolled off her in pain as the ones at the table laughed, watching Alice get to her feet.

"I know more than what most give me credit for." She said, extending a hand to help him up. He took it and she pulled him to his feet. "Sorry."

"Don't worry." He said, voice several pitches higher. "I'm fine!"

She let out a laugh, pulling him into a tight hug. "You know I would never hurt you on purpose. Now come on, lets finish tea."

**. . .**

That night, the protection broke.

Alice was awakened by horrific screams in the middle of the night. Suddenly wide awake, she leapt from her bed and pressed against the door – footsteps sounded in the hall, and somewhere, she could hear Caroline screaming.

_No. She couldn't let anything happen to her._

She'd just grabbed the handle when the door slammed open – Hatter and Mirana barged in, the door closing behind them. Alice rubbed her nose where the door had come back to hit her.

"What's going on?" She asked, shaking the traces of sleep from her voice.

"The forces of the Queen's. They've raided the castle, and took Caroline." The White Queen said – she was standing there in a sheer white nightgown, looking paler than ever, a worried look on her face. "I feared this would happen. They want to use her as some sort of bait to lure you to them. I just didn't know they'd come so soon – I can't even figure out how they knew she was here . . . ."

"The looking glasses." Hatter muttered, and Mirana looked sharply at him, as if asking why he would suggest such a thing.

"Then lets go. I'm not letting them take her." Alice started toward the door, but Hatter grabbed her, pulling her back, shaking his head.

"No."

"They have my niece!"

Mirana pressed a finger to her lips, signaling her to lower her voice before she spoke.

"We'll get your niece back, but right now we need to get somewhere safer than here. It's only a matter of time before they begin to search for us, and you." She muttered. "We'll have to be quick about it."

"The balcony?" Hatter suggested, keeping a firm grip on Alice to make sure she wasn't about to run off.

"It's the only way out."

"Not really." Mirana murmured. "If I can remember . . . ." She began to cast her gaze around the room, seemingly searching for something. As she continued to explain, Alice listened with interest, watching her begin to move furniture aside. "You see, this was my family's summer residence – the palace the Red Queen lived in was originally our home, and the one the Queen of Hearts sits in was our winter one. Because of wars or other dangers that often broke out, it was essential for each of them to have various tunnels and escapes from most of the rooms in case something happened and the royal family needed to escape."

As she finished, she pulled aside Alice's bed to reveal a trap door in the floor. She smiled triumphantly, pulling open the door – a long ladder extended down.

"I'll go first. Alice, you follow – Hatter, before you come down, pull the bed back over the top, so they won't find this." She instructed in her usual airy tone and Hatter nodded, extending a hand to help the White Queen down the latter. Mirana thanked him quietly, descending into the ground. Hatter offered his hand to Alice next, who followed suit in climbing down the ladder. It was a few seconds before she heard the sound of the bed being pulled back, and then the light from above disappeared, leaving them in total darkness. Alice took a deep breath to calm her shaking nerves, and continued to climb.

This was utterly ridiculous. She could have gotten Caroline, but Mirana and Hatter both insisted keeping her safe. She supposed it was the smart thing to do – they could go sneak into the other palace and get Caroline out, but Alice was worried what they would do to her in the meantime. And the whole reason they had her niece, was to get her to come to them. She wasn't sure it was wise to give them what they wanted, but it was the only option.

"Queen Mirana!"

The familiar voice echoed from below as Alice descended the last few rungs on the ladder. She was surprised to see Mirana standing with Mallymkun, Thackery, Nivens, and the Twins, all completely unharmed.

"Hello. Glad you all made it out safely. Took the tunnel from the garden, I'm guessing?"

"Thankfully Nivens here remembered about them when you told him." Mallymkun said.

"So where - -."

" - - do we go from here?" The twins asked.

"To get my niece." Alice said firmly, and Mirana sighed.

"To somewhere safe where we can come up with something to do there. Follow me, if you please." Even in the dark, the Queen seemed to radiate white, so they followed her outline in the dark. Hatter had taken Alice by the hand and she had only just noticed, so she let it be – he was obviously concerned about protecting her.

"I hope she's safe." Alice murmured. Hatter gave her hand a comforting squeeze in reassurance.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's brave."

"But she can't fight back against two Queens who are the most sadistic people I've ever met." Alice replied, looking up at Hatter's outline in the dark. Although she couldn't see his face, she could feel his gaze on her.

"They won't hurt her – not if they're trying to get you to come to them. They know you won't come unless she's alive."

"How do they know what I'll do? It's quite ridiculous they know all of this about me, and I've only heard stories." She muttered. It was true – apparently everyone knew more about her than she knew about them, which was frankly, just annoying.

"Well, there was another part -."

"We're here!" Mirana announced sharply, cutting across Hatter. Alice waited for him to continue, but he didn't. She frowned and turned her attention to the wall in front of them, surprised to find no trap door or ladder, but a large mirror that spanned the length of the wall. It seemed to radiate its own light, so she could see the glossy surface, and their outlines reflected in it.

"A mirror?" Alice asked aloud – no one else seemed confused by it.

"Tarrant, Alice has never traveled by a looking glass before – help her please." Mirana said and Hatter nodded.

"Travel by looking-glass?" She asked, turning toward Hatter. "What?"

"Looking glasses are very dangerous to travel by, but in situations they can be used. Looking glasses in Wonderland are linked together in pairs – like this one will lead to whatever safe place had been set up by the royal family. Others might link certain houses, or areas together for shorter travel – not many people use them anymore." He explained quickly – all the while, Mirana was standing so close to the mirror, that the words she was murmuring silently were making breath on the glass.

"What's she doing?"

"There are little incantations that are used to open them, and there's only a certain one that will open this one." He replied. "It's a very jarring ride, so I need you to hang on tightly, all right?"

Alice nodded, looking back toward the mirror – it seemed to be glowing brighter now, and Mirana had disappeared. She watched with interest as Mallymkun – clinging to Chessur's fur; he'd appeared from nowhere – jumped through the mirror, disappearing into the glass. The twins followed, each holding a wriggling Nivens or Thackery. Hatter stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Alice tightly, as if he were hugging her. She mirrored his actions, and they jumped.

She felt like she was falling, the Hatter being her only anchor. She looked around – wild colors swirled around them, making her dizzy and sick all at once. She could see the others floating through the same strange place up ahead, but turning her head to get a better look made her even sicker.

"Try not to look." She heart Hatter say and could only bury her face back into his chest, inhaling his scent. Oddly enough, he smelled faintly of peppermint and something else she couldn't place, but she decided she liked the smell, and would rather face it than the dizzying colors flying about them.

There was a bit of a bump and a jolt before she was suddenly standing back on solid ground. She pulled away and looked around – they were standing on the edge of a cliff – just the tips of the castle were visible in the distance. She realized the small cliffs were the ones that she had seen when first arriving to Wonderland – the pond she'd come through was just below her.

She turned away after a moment, cheeks turning red when she still realized she was clinging to Hatter. She took a step back before silently heading toward the White Queen, who was turned back toward the mirror, murmuring something else to its smooth surface.

"What now?"

The Queen looked at her.

"We need a plan."

"I vote we leave Alice out of that one. Last time I had to wear a dress." Chessur muttered, floating lazily across the air. Alice threw him a glare, but he only grinned.

"I just know we have to save my niece. If I can get rid of your sisters in the process, then great. Let's do it." She said firmly.

Mirana and Tarrant exchanged a look, one that Alice didn't miss. She frowned.

"There's something you're not telling me." She said aloud. "What is it you're not telling me?"

Mirana sighed softly. "Alice, it's a long story."

"Tell me." She insisted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Let's get to the oracle first, and he'll tell you. He's got something we need anyway." Hatter said, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder. She looked at him warily, but nodded.

"Let's go."


	5. Party

The forest was oddly quiet, compared to the last time Alice had been through this particular place. Large mushrooms rose up around them – they looked a bit smaller because she wasn't so short, but they were still overly sized and rather intimidating looking. Hatter was holding her hand again, helping her over large fallen logs and the rocky terrain.

"Are we seeing Absolem?" Alice asked Mirana, who floated along in front of them.

"Absolem is no longer the oracle – he has gone on to another life." She said. "We are seeing Barlum."

"Exactly how many oracles are there?"

"Six. Absolem, Barlum, Caurom, Durom, Efroum, and Froum." Mirana replied. "But we're most interested in the calendar."

Alice almost groaned. "That thing again?"

"It's very important, Alice." Hatter murmured from beside her. "It tells of everything Wonderland has experienced, is experiencing, or will experience."

"I know, it's just . . . last time I saw myself on that, well, it wasn't exactly promising."

"This time it's a good thing."

"How can you be so sure?"

He merely smiled at her, stepping over a log and helping her across it. She was still barefoot and in a sheer nightgown like the Queen was – only Hatter had been the one fully dressed. It made Alice half wonder if he ever changed clothes, or if he had just been up and about when the attack had come.

They entered an area with thick, swirling smoke and Alice knew they had arrived. Mirana called out the oracle's name as Alice, Hatter, and the others caught up with her.

"I was beginning to think that you were not coming." A voice drawled out. Alice waved smoke out of her face, and finally the image of a bright orange caterpillar appeared on a mushroom in front of them.

"Hello Barlum. We seek your assistance." The White Queen said, giving a curt nod in respect toward him.

"I knew that, your highness. You wish for me to tell you how to defeat your sisters, yes?"

She nodded.

"Check the calendar." He said, nodding toward the scroll sitting on another mushroom not far off. Alice had the strangest sense of déjà vu as the twins stepped forward and unrolled it. Hatter, Alice, and the White Queen stepped forward, looking at it carefully.

Alice found the picture of her defeating the jabberwocky, so she tugged the scroll farther down, toward the next set of pictures. Mirana shook her head.

"All of this had already happened. Further please." She said, and Alice tugged it more, until Mirana's hand came down, stopping her. She pointed to a set of pictures one right after the other.

The first depicted Alice and Caroline coming through the pond, their figures unmistakable. The second was a photo of a grouping of people dressed in grand ball-gowns and masks. Mirana stood in the center of the group of people, and at the edge you could see a masked Alice and Hatter fleeing from the scene. At the top of the photo, it showed an enraged Red Queen, and another woman Alice didn't know – she assumed it was the Queen of Hearts.

"Of course!" Mallymkun spoke up. "Today is Hallowed Day!"

"What's that?" Alice inquired.

"Hallowed Days are when the royal family throws a masked ball or party in honor of something. Everyone usually goes." Mirana murmured. "I remember them as a girl. It's hard to tell who anyone is – and I do believe that Hallowed Day is when we can get little Caroline back, and you can help us rid Wonderland of my sisters."

"We infiltrate the ball." Hatter confirmed, and Mirana nodded. "Sounds funny. I hope there'll be tea."

"Tea!" Thackery spoke up, whipping out a teacup and tea pot from nowhere, pouring himself a cup of tea. Alice smiled fondly, until she realized that she had been promised an answer as to what Hatter and Mirana were hiding from her. She fixed them both with a hard glare, until Mirana sighed and rolled the scroll more.

"Alice, this isn't going to go over well with you, I can already tell." She said slowly, pointing to the last picture revealed – it was of Alice seated on a throne, looking rather regal and harsh looking. There was something odd about her, but she couldn't place it.

"What does that mean?"

"You're going to be crowned as part of the royal family – I had full intentions of doing that myself once this was all over. But look what you're wearing." She pointed to the heart design along the dress that picture-Alice wore. "And I recognize that throne room – it's of the winter palace, the one where my sisters currently are."

"I don't understand . . . ."

"They're going to turn you against us."

Alice frowned. "I would never -."

"My eldest sister has a very persuasive way of making people do things they would never do. You won't be able to stop yourself."

"I don't want that to happen."

"It might not." Barlum mused. "Roll it farther."

Mirana obeyed, and Alice was surprised to see that the rest of the scroll was completely blank. Mirana continued to roll it, looking for some sort of picture, but it was all blank. Nothing.

"What's that mean?" She asked, looking up at Barlum.

"It can mean two things. One, that there are possibly too many ways for things to end up, or two, the end of Wonderland as we know it." He replied.

"Well, you're a positive thinker." Alice muttered, shaking off the feeling of dread she got the more she thought about it. She didn't want to turn on her friends, and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure that didn't happen. "But let's try not to focus on that now, and instead focus on the things at hand – the masked ball."

Mirana only nodded and rolled up the scroll. "We'll need outfits. Tarrant?"

"I just need to stop by the windmill and gather some things, but I can make them on the way there. We're going across the chessboard desert, right? Or around, through the forest?"

"Considering the beasts lurking in the desert, we'll take the forest."

**. . .**

Apparently Hatter had horses, and when they stopped to gather the bolts of fabric for him to make the outfits from, they had gotten his three horses to use. It was dawn before they finally began on their way, headed through the forest and around the desert to reach the other side of Wonderland, where Mirana's sisters were, and Caroline.

Tired, Alice found herself drifting in and out of sleep. Mallymkun, sitting on her horse's head, was already sleeping. Behind her, Hatter was silent, so she had assumed he had fallen asleep as well. The White Queen on her own horse to Alice's left looked tired as well, but she was awake, forcing herself to remain as such, as in her other hand, she had grabbed the reins of the horse the twins were bunched up on – both of them were asleep, and Mirana was leading the horse for them.

"Get some sleep if you want." Hatter murmured and Alice jumped – she had thought him asleep, but apparently she had been wrong. "I'll wake you later."

"I'm fine." She murmured, but a yawn that escaped her lips betrayed her. Hatter chuckled.

"Sleep, Alice."

The next thing Alice knew, she had opened her eyes to a beautiful sunset in many different colors across the sky above her. She yawned, stretching, attempting to sit up, but found something prevented her from doing so. She found Hatter sleeping next to her, his arm protectively around her waist. She smiled fondly, before gently wriggling out of his grasp and letting him continue to sleep.

Mirana was up and about, wearing one of the finest dresses Alice had ever seen. It looked more like a beautiful white wedding gown rather than a ball gown. Somehow she'd managed to pull her white curls back into a fancy bun at the crown of her head, and was slipping on a silk white mask as Alice approached, as well as a pair of white gloves. She smiled faintly.

"Ready for a rescue mission, Alice?"

"I suppose." She murmured, stretching slightly. Her back ached from sleeping on a horse and on the ground, but at least she wasn't as exhausted as she had been. "I think that traveling by looking-glass gave me some sort of lag." She added and Mirana laughed softly.

"It takes a few trips to get used to the effect. My sisters and I used to chase each other through them all the time." She said, an almost sad note to her voice. Alice guessed that if the other two hadn't gone so evil, the three would have been the best of friends. The White Queen seemed sad her sisters had turned evil, and Alice's heart went out to her.

"Oh, your dress is there." Mirana added, nodding toward where the horses were tied up to a low hanging branch at the edge of the clearing they seemed to be stopped in. Alice nodded and went toward the horses, finding a pile of blue and silver silk thrown across the back of one of the saddles.

She disappeared behind a tree long enough to change into it. The thing was beautiful, with light blue making up most of it, and a bolt of dark blue running down the center and back. Silver made up the design across the chest. It was sleeveless, with arm loops, and came with a set of white tea-gloves. Alice had never had something made of fabric as fine as this was – it looked like it would take weeks to make. But the Hatter had made it in hours. No wonder he was sleeping.

She tugged on the gloves and the flat fabric shoes that had been made for it as well, coming back into the clearing. Hatter had disappeared, but Mirana was coming toward her with a smile on her face.

"What?"

"Let me fix your hair. You can't blend in with leaves and twigs in it." She stated. The next thing Alice knew, the Queen had pulled the front of her hair back and clasped it in the back with something, keeping it out of her eyes. She handed her a silver mask. "Put this on."

"Where's Hatter?"

"Getting ready." She replied. "You and Tarrant will be going together, and then I will follow, acting as your sister. Mallymkun will be sneaking in with Chessur, undetected, and keeping watch. Thackery, Nivens, and the twins are staying here, safe." She explained. Alice nodded, crossing her fingers for a brief moment, praying to whatever God was listening for this plan to work. She really didn't want to die today.

"The ball will start when the sun goes down, so by the time we get there, it will have started." Mirana continued and Alice nodded. "We'll take the horses."

Alice turned back toward the horse she had been riding early and attempted to untie the reins from the branch, but found it knotted too tightly. A pair of glove hands reached from behind her and untied it with expert fingers. Alice turned, and was half surprised by what she saw.

Hatter stood there, wearing not his usual suit, but one in complete silver, complete with a silver top hat, and black bow wrapped around it. His hair was no long sticking in odd directions, but had been somehow tamed down, most of the orange color hidden by his hat. He had a mask that covered almost all of his face – his bright green eyes were still visible from behind the mask.

"You look very pretty." Hatter gave her a broad grin. She smiled in return.

"Thank you. You don't clean up so bad yourself."

"Alice, you're going to need this." Mirana held out a long sword toward her. Alice frowned – it was different than the Vorpal sword, but it was still rather beautiful and deadly looking. "It's Tarrant's – he told me to grab it when we stopped for the horses, because you would need it.

Hatter nodded. "Hide it beneath your dress."

She frowned again. Alice had never hidden such things in a dress, but she figured it had to be easier since she wasn't wearing a corset or anything. Turning away for a long moment, she managed to slid it between the silky fabric, tucking it near her waist. The cold metal rubbed against her leg, but she tried to ignore it.

"We should go."

Hatter helped her up onto her horse, before helping Mirana onto one of the others. The three rode in silence, side by side, along the widened path that wound its way out of the forest and toward the sounds of music and laughter that was coming from the distance. The closer they got, the more Alice's stomach seemed to come alive with butterflies. She was afraid of how this was going to end.

The path emerged from the forest, and Alice was greeted by the sight of a large palace seated on the edge of cliffs, overlooking what was apparently the desert Mirana had talked about earlier – black and white squares of sand made odd patterns across the ground, dust storms visible even at the distance they sat.

"A mysterious thing, the desert." Mirana murmured quietly from beside Alice, before urging her horse forward. She said no more on the matter of the desert, and instead the three of them fell into a line, approaching the castle. They were greeted by men in red at the castle door, who helped them down before taking their horses away, to what Alice guessed was a stable. Hatter offered Alice his arm, which she took, as Mirana led the way inside.

Directly inside was the party, in the grand entrance hall of the palace, with its dizzying red and black heart and swirl patterns across the floor, walls, and ceiling, right down to the chandelier hanging from above. Masked people danced and twirled in the center of the room to the music, while others mingled about.

But the two that stood out most were at the front of the room. The Red Queen, her planet sized head looming over everyone. She looked the same as Alice had last seen her, except a mask now adorned her face. Beside her stood the Knave of Hearts, a mask covering half of his face – he seemed to be looking for someone.

However, Alice's attention was drawn to the woman on the other side of the Red Queen. She was taller, and her head was much smaller. Long black hair and rather fierce blue eyes peered from behind a mask – she seemed to be searching for someone too. This was apparently the Queen of Hearts – she seemed more elegant than the Red Queen. Almost like a darker version of Mirana herself.

"They'll call for a game soon." Mirana murmured.

"Game?"

"On Hallowed Day, it's tradition to play a certain game – I do believe you call it Simon Says. It's odd, really, but they have people go out into the crowds and pick random people to play. And I'm assuming that if my sisters as still as sadistic as usual – which they are – that if you lose, you die."

"And if you win?"

"I'm not sure. But that game would sure be a wonderful distraction so you two can sneak away and search for Caroline." Mirana mused. "I think I shall make sure I get picked. It'll be a wonderful entrance, at least, because they certainly won't expect to see me here."

Alice barely had time to nod before Hatter was tugging her away, into a shaded part of the party, as the Knave of Hearts walked by. The White Queen had disappeared, and now the two Queens were talking quietly with one another, every once in a while glancing at the Knave of Hearts, who was going around, tapping people on the shoulder silently. Others were clearing out on the dance floor, and the ones who's shoulder's had been tapped were slowly filing out to stand in lines on the dance floor, in front of the Queens.

Mirana stood out in her gown of white, standing at the back of the rows. Men in red lined the playing area, prepared to throw anyone out who didn't obey by the rules, or who lost. The Queen of Hearts turned toward the crowd, clapping her hands together, her gaze trained on the players.

"It's time for a game!"


	6. Switch

Alice and Hatter stood in the shadows, but were still watching carefully at the center of the floor. The Red Queen stood by, watching with a malicious grin as the Queen of Hearts stepped forward, as if about to pounce on her prey. She stopped in front of the group, hands behind her back, mask pushed up to the top of her head so she could see.

"Everyone knows how to play, I'm quite sure." She smiled fondly. "Iracebeth, would you like to do the honors, or shall I?"

"I'd rather watch, I believe."

"Very well." She said, and Alice listened with slight curiosity as the Queen of Hearts folded her hands in the fabric of her heart patterned dress, and began to recite more of a rhyme, than instructions.

"Simon says curtsey, Simon says bow. Simon says genuflect, Simon says meow. . . ."

With every word, everyone on the floor performed the actions, no matter how elegant they were dressed. Even Mirana's movements were flawless.

"Has she done this before?" Alice asked the Hatter, who only nodded in response.

"Simon says scream . . . ."

"It's quite an odd game of Simon says . . . ." Alice murmured. Again, Hatter only nodded, still pressing them both back into the shadows as the Knave passed by once more. Beneath his mask, Alice could see Hatter's eyes flash a deep amber, almost red in color at the sight of the man. She tugged his arm, and they went back to green, still trained on the players.

"Simon says grovel at my feet like spineless dogs!" The Queen of Hearts had nearly screamed the order, making Alice jump. She watched as they all got onto their knees, even Mirana, and pretended to worship her.

"Stand up."

Half of them stood, and both the Queens grinned eerily.

"Off with their heads!" The Red Queen shouted and the ones that had stood were dragged out kicking and screaming by the red guards. Mirana and the dozen or so others left formed a new set of lines as soon as the Queen of Hearts had given them permission to stand.

"Round two." Red Queen called and the Queen of Hearts began her odd rhyming again.

"Simon says hop on one leg, Simon says do jumping jacks. Simon says leap like a frog . . . ."

These actions were much quicker and harder, making it almost impossible to do. Still, the ones left managed, for fear of being beheaded.

"Simon says walk like a zombie . . . ."

Alice giggled at the sight.

"Simon says tap dance, Simon says sit on the ground." The Queen smiled. "Now stand up."

Every person but Mirana stood.

"Off with your heads!" The Red Queen shouted once more, and they were dragged off, except for the White Queen, who sat daintily on the floor, the fabric of her dress spread out around her like a fan.

"Let the victor come forward, and reveal their face." The Queen of Hearts said. "Simon says stand up."

Mirana obeyed, and glanced around, her gaze lingering on Hatter and Alice for a long moment. Alice recognized what was about to happen from the scroll – Hatter tugged her arm and they discreetly edged around the room, turning down a vacant hallway.

"My guess is that she would be in the dungeons." Hatter murmured and Alice nodded.

"How to get there is the problem."

"Find stairs down?"

"That would be a start."

Alice led the way at a quick pace down the hall, gently peering left and right for any sign of stairs. Hatter opened several doors along the way, but they only opened into vacant rooms – Alice didn't want to know what they were used for.

"This way!" She called, finally spotting a set to her left. She ran for them, silently heading down, Hatter trailing behind. They emerged in a long hall, but there were no doors or windows. Alice frowned.

"What is this?"

"I . . don't know." Hatter muttered. He stepped in front of her, heading down the hall first, taking Alice's hand and leading her along. Alice assumed he was prepared to throw himself in front of her in case anything came after them, and it made her feel safe. She always felt safe with Hatter.

"Caroline?" Alice called softly, but no response came.

They turned down another similar hall at the end – this time there was a door at the end, and Hatter tugged her forward toward it as a faster pace. She reached for the handle and tugged it open, surprised to be met with nothing but an empty room. She stepped inside, Hatter just behind her.

"It's nothing but a maze down here." She whispered, turning toward Hatter.

The door slammed shut behind them.

**. . .**

Mirana was careful to make sure Alice and Tarrant had slipped out before she stepped forward as victor of the game. She reached up and tugged her mask off, looking directly into the rather smug faces of her older sisters.

"Hello Iracebeth, Gally."

"Don't call me that!" The Queen of Hearts snapped.

"Galarie." Mirana corrected. The Red Queen stepped down to join the Queen of Hearts just feet away from their younger sister.

"I should have known you'd show up, uninvited. It's just like you."

"And it's just like you to use the rhymes mother used to use when she played with us." Mirana replied smoothly. Galarie rolled her eyes.

"If you're here, Alice is with you."

"Of course not. She returned to the Aboveground quite some time ago. I came alone."

"The Hatter?"

"Currently having tea with the March Hare and the dormouse."

"You never were a good liar, sister."

**. . .**

It was a long moment before Alice felt a pair of strong arms grab her by the arm and slam her up against the wall. She winced, gasping as the breath was knocked out of her lungs. Arms pinned her hands against the wall, and she fought back, kicking and shouting for them to get off. She managed to kick whoever it was in the groin, before her hands began to frisk herself, trying to grab her sword. She removed it just in time as the door swung open, revealing her attacker to be the Knave of Hearts. Several guards had the Hatter pinned against the opposite wall, and more had just rushed in. She held the sword at arms length.

"We knew you would come, Alice." The Knave said in a deathly quiet tone. "The Queens are expecting you."

"Go near her and I'll kill you where you stand." Hatter growled from the corner – even in the dark, she could see his eyes had shifted to a dark red. It almost frightened her. "You slimeball."

"I'm not afraid of a Hatter." The Knave said smugly. Alice watched as Hatter lunged suddenly at him, tackling him to the ground. She pressed herself back against the wall, until she noticed the guards around the room beginning to pull weapons. She jumped forward then, waving the sword at them.

"Lower your weapons!"

They began to obey, until a cold hand grabbed her ankle and jerked. She landed face-first on the ground, the sword clattering away from her hand. Guards pointed their own swords at her neck, and she looked over to see that the Knave had a very pissed looking Hatter pinned to the ground.

"Let's take them upstairs."

Alice and Hatter were led back upstairs and to the party. As they entered, Galarie and Iracebeth looked up, as did all the guests. The Red Queen's eyes grew dark, but the Queen of Hearts looked utterly pleased. She stepped forward toward Alice.

"Alice! How lovely of you to join us!"

She was supposed to kill this woman? For what? Being too sweet? Then she remembered what Mirana had said – she pretend to be nice at first, but then ended up hurting you, and everyone else around you.

"Well, you had just such a lovely party, we just couldn't stay away. Tell me, how is my niece doing?"

"Little Caroline? Oh, she's doing just perfect. Sleeping right now – it was past her bed time after the party started." The Queen of Hearts grinned maliciously. "But you, Alice, it's you I'm more focused on." She produced two glasses of wine from a nearby tray, passing one to Alice. "Have a drink before we discuss things."

She forced it into Alice's hands, and she stared down into the dark red liquid, before looking back up the woman's face. She smiled sweetly, taking a long drink of her own glass. With shaking hands, Alice took a drink – something about it tasted quite odd, but she ignored it, instead holding the drink. The Queen looked at the Knave.

"Escort Alice to the parlor, then take the Hatter and my dear little sister to join Caroline. Iracebeth, come with me."

The Queen of Heart's parlor was completely covered in hearts of every shape or size, even more so than the Red Queen's palace had been. It was annoying, tacky, and rather ugly all at once, and it made Alice sick. She was shaking slightly, feeling slightly dizzy as she was forced into a plush seat, her mask torn away from her face. An odd sort of feeling washed over her, and she found herself slipping away from reality.

"Just kill her!" The Red Queen's voice screeched from behind and she jumped, surprised as she and the Queen of Hearts appeared, their masks off, looking rather livid. Or at least, Iracebeth did. Galarie just looked as sweet and innocent as ever, and it unnerved Alice.

"Where's Caroline?" Alice asked, but was surprised when the voice sounded not like her own. It was much slower – her motor skills were slowing. Had she been poisoned?

"How do you feel, Alice?" Galarie asked kindly.

"I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure about that?"

". . . no."

Galarie smiled, picking up something off of a nearby table, twirling it around her finger. It took Alice a long moment before she realized it was a beautiful silver crown. She shook her head – the odd feeling washed over her like a tidal wave once more.

"What – What did you do to me?"

"Nothing bad, Alice." Galarie said, sitting beside Alice on the arm of the chair. Iracebeth looked positively pissed, wanting nothing more than to kill the girl where she stood. "It's going to be good for you. A bit of a change, but change is good."

The woman was so nice, Alice wanted nothing more than to punch the smile right off her face. Where had they taken Tarrant and Mirana? She wanted Caroline too.

"Change isn't good." Iracebeth huffed from the corner, and Galarie threw her a look, before examining the silver crown in her hand. It was intricate and delicately designed.

"Alice," She asked, after a moment. "What do you want to do to the Hatter?"

Alice blinked, trying to think clearly. It was like a fog was coming across her mind as she tried to gather her thoughts. At first she wanted to reply with something along the lines of freeing Tarrant, but something else forced out of her lips.

"Off with his head." She whispered. Galarie grinned, giggling almost happily. She gently placed the crown on Alice's head.

"Welcome to the good side, our champion."


	7. Flowers

It had began to rain again, the downpour ever steady against the window as Galarie stared out, hands clasped in front of her, curled within the fabric of her dress. Behind her, Alice had fallen asleep on the couch in the parlor. She smiled wickedly to herself – now she had precious little Alice on her side, so Mirana had no one to help her. Tarrant was in chains – his execution would come with Mirana's at sundown tomorrow, on orders of Wonderland's new Princess, Alice herself.

"Good morning, Alice. How did you sleep?" She asked as the girl finally stirred, waking. She blinked, and Galarie noticed her eyes had changed from blue to an odd reddish color.

"Terrible. My back hurts." She frowned, stretching slightly. "But I'm in quite the fantastic mood. I do hope you have a dress I can borrow for the occasion."

Galarie couldn't help but smile, nodding. "Of course I do. I'll take you upstairs to change, then we can join Iracebeth for a bit of breakfast."

"Sounds perfect."

Alice's mind was fogged completely over. Her thoughts were not her own, but instead thoughts Galarie and Iracebeth wanted her to think. She had no control over her own actions, at least, the control she had wasn't dominate. There was still some part of her brain that understood what was happening and was trying to throw off the odd fog, but the fog didn't budge, and Alice remained under its power.

**. . .**

"This isn't good." Mirana whispered, the cold metal chains clanking against her wrists as she and Tarrant walked along, every once in a while one of them stumbling as one of the guards roughly tugged at the chains. They were being brought toward the throne room now, for what reason neither could fathom. Although, based on what had been written on the scroll, Mirana had a bit of an idea.

Tarrant could have cried when he saw Alice – _his Alice_ – standing between the two Queens, dressed in solid red with black hearts all over the dress. She looked regal, fearsome, and rather scary, even as beautiful as she was.

"Dear Alice, these are the two that betrayed you." Galarie said, wrapping her arm around Alice's shoulder. Tarrant realized her eyes were red, which wasn't another good thing. He knew she wasn't herself – the Queens had to be doing something to her.

"Behead them." Alice said simply. Mirana blinked, obviously disturbed.

"In time. Their executions are scheduled for sundown tomorrow." She said in Alice's ear, who only nodded.

"Betrayed her? We never betrayed her!" Mirana suddenly spoke.

"Lies!" Iracebeth hissed. "How dare you tell your Princess those terrible lies."

"I thought I wasn't a good liar?" She asked, directing this toward Galarie, who stepped forward, her arm still around Alice's shoulders as the girl stepped forward as well.

"You tried to kill Alice! You had the Hatter try and poison her, before you yourself tried to run her through with the vorpal sword! Don't worry, I told her all about it. She knows of your treachery to the Wonderland crown, and has been assured that your threats will no longer be a problem. You will be executed in front of the royal court tomorrow at sundown."

Tarrant jerked against the chains. "Alice! We would never hurt you!"

"Silence!" Alice snapped. "I will not hear of your lies, Hatter. You will die."

Tarrant looked like she'd physically slapped him in the face.

"Alice, you've got to believe us. You killed the jabberwocky that Iracebeth sent after you! She's the one who tried to kill you, and now Galarie has done something to your head! It's that blasted potion of hers! I warned you!" Mirana said, but Galarie glared, stepping forward and slapping her little sister across the face. Mirana's head snapped to the side for a long moment, her cheek a bright red, looking odd against her pale skin. When she turned back, her lower lip was bleeding where Galarie's ring had cut across it.

She didn't say anything else.

"Do either of you have anything else to say for yourselves?"

"We're not guilty of the crimes you accuse us of you filthy, evil, big-headed, crazy - !"

"Tarrant!" Mirana snapped.

"I-I'm fine." He whispered, looking away, his eyes fading back into green. Mirana looked back at the ground.

"I only wish you'd believe us Alice." She murmured, before Iracebeth waved them away. Neither struggled as they were all but jerked from the throne room. Alice stared after them, a slightly curious look on her face.

"Maybe if the Hatter was evil and red-eyed all the time, he wouldn't be a bad Knave." She mused, turning and moving to perch on the edge of the throne that had been added between the two Queens'.

"He's too good of heart." Galarie muttered. "Well, not so good, considering he tried to kill you." She shrugged. "But there will be others, Alice, dear. Plenty of others once we finish ridding Wonderland of the ones who do not deserve to enjoy it."

Alice merely nodded in response.

She dismissed herself not long after, silently slipping through the halls of the large palace. It was almost an exact replica to what Iracebeth's palace had been, so it was rather easy to find her way around.

Alice headed for the room Galarie had explained was hers. It was nice, with silk and velvet decorating most of everything, not to mention the red and black heart design. But in Alice's corrupted mind, she loved all of it. She flopped down on her bed, staring at the red color of the ceiling.

Red reminded her of orange. Orange went with green. Both reminded her of something she couldn't quite place, as if something was missing. It was an odd feeling – nothing had ever felt out of place before. But she tried to shove those thoughts away. Nothing was missing. She was Princess of Wonderland, and the two who had betrayed her would be hanged and beheaded tomorrow at sundown.

**. . .**

Mirana and Tarrant were locked into cells facing opposite of each other. Tarrant immediately sank to the ground, back against the wall. Mirana gave the place a disgusting look before finally giving up what was left of her dignity and sitting down on the cold ground as well, looking so much out of place – a white spot against a dark and dank background.

"Tarrant, you know it's not Alice. She's not in her right mind." She said softly, hands gripping the bars. Tarrant didn't respond. "Galarie does things with her potions – she was always gifted at them. I detest her for it, but at least there is a way to fix it."

"How?" The question was so soft, Mirana thought she hadn't heard it.

"If I'm not mistaken, the flower petals from the Juju that grows in the forest will do the trick. Galarie used to try it on me all the time, and mother would feed the petals to me. Just how we can get her to eat them is beyond me."

"Leave that to me." Tarrant stated. "Right now, we need to figure out how to get a hold of those petals."

"I think I can be of service!" A small voice piped up and Mallymkun emerged from the shadows, tottering along. "Just tell me where and I'll get those petals! Anything to save Alice."

Mirana smiled, and began to draw a map with her finger in the layer of dust covering the ground.

**. . .**

_Sorry it's so short!_


	8. Love

Tarrant had almost always loved sunsets, because the change in colors reminded him of the change of colors in his own eyes. And the last bit of blue before the sun went down always reminded him of Alice's eyes, a mix of color between ocean and sky blue.

It was those same beautiful eyes that were flaring at him now.

Alice stood on the execution block herself, Caroline at her side (looking quite upset), the two Queens standing with the crowd not far off, accompanied by the Knave of Hearts. Mirana and Tarrant were being escorted forward, about to be beheaded.

"I hope Mallymkun picked the right ones." Mirana fretted quietly and Tarrant quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

"Well, there's another flower that looks like the Juju flower and grows right next to them – however, the look-a-like flower is rather poisonous and will kill you within a matter of seconds." She whispered and Tarrant's eyes grew dark.

"You're just telling me this now?"

"Silence! Both of you!" The guard escorting them ordered as they were marched up the steps and onto the executioner's block. Alice regarded them, hands folded into the fabric of the white and red checkered dress she had on.

"Which would you like to go first, your highness?" The guard asked and Alice approached Tarrant and Mirana. She looked each one of them in the eye for a long moment.

"I -."

The minute Alice opened her mouth, Tarrant lunged forward and reluctantly tackled Alice, revealing in his clenched fist a handful of flower petals. He shoved them into her open mouth, closing her jaw shut and forcing her to swallow them.

"Restrain him!" Iracebeth called, and guards surged, grabbing him and pulling him away from Alice, who laid where he had tackled her, coughing and choking for a long moment until her gasps stilled and she lay there on the concrete, unmoving.

_No._ Tarrant paled as he was led toward where the noose was hanging from a beam overhead. He was slightly surprised he wouldn't be beheaded, but he figured it was only because Galarie was running the show, and not Iracebeth.

But his attention was currently on the unmoving Alice, unwilling to believe he had just poisoned the woman he loved.

Loved? It took him a moment to comprehend the fact his mind had just said that. Did he love Alice? In a friend way, yes, but it had obviously developed to something more that he hadn't realized sooner. Yes, he did love Alice Kingsley.

Except he had probably just killed her.

Dejected, he felt the noose be hung around his neck. He glanced at Mirana, who looked on the verge of tears as she looked between Tarrant and Alice.

There was a long pause of silence as people began to tend to the collapsed Alice. It was with a slight scream and gasp of breath that she finally jerked up, scratching her palms on the concrete before someone helped her to her feet. Alice swayed for a long moment and glanced at her surroundings.

She stepped toward Tarrant, hanging at the noose, glaring.

_It hadn't worked._

At least, he assumed. It wasn't until Alice drew closer that he realized her eyes were in fact back to their normal blue in color. She was pretending.

"Tarrant Hightop, you just attempted to murder a member of the monarch of Wonderland. What do you have to say for yourself before you hang by the neck until dead?" She asked in a cold, harsh tone that made Tarrant flinch.

"That I, Tarrant Hightop, former Hatter to both the White and Red Queens, and best host of a tea-party since the beginning of Wonderland, am in love with the member of the Wonderland monarch I just tried to kill – well, save -, Alice Kingsley from London, champion for the White Queen and savior of Wonderland."

Alice blinked at him, trying to act unfazed at his words. Her mind was clear of the fog, but she couldn't give that away yet, or else she'd be killed as well. Or something just as horrible. Inside, however, her heart and stomach both fluttered like butterflies at his words. He said he'd loved her. She wanted to smile happily and run to him, but at the moment, that particular thing would be rather difficult to do.

"Such nonsense." Alice said after a long moment, becoming rigid. "As you seem to be in some sort of delusional state, you will proceed to hang." She looked at the executioner who stepped forward, his hand on the lever that would drop the platform from below Tarrant, effectively hanging him.

There was suddenly a loud whistle and a Bandersnatch came sailing out of the crowd, leaping over heads and bounding toward the platform. The executioner moved to pull the lever, but Alice tackled him, knocking him away. Tarrant tugged the noose off with a bit of difficultly – Alice grabbed a knife off the executioner and cut the binds on his wrists loose, before proceeding to do the same to Mirana. Guards were surrounding them, the Knave among them, and somewhere Iracebeth was screaming for them to all lose their heads. Caroline screamed.

_Not today, planet-head_.

Alice's fingers curled into the Bandersnatch's fur and she pulled herself up onto it, Caroline too, Tarrant and Mirana managing to cram onto its back as well. It was then Alice noticed Mallymkun clinging to the beast's ear.

"I thought you might need a bit of rescuing!" The dormouse grinned and Alice reminded herself to give the mouse a huge thanks later.

The Bandersnatch leapt through the crowd, tossing the court left and right to get them out of the way as it took off down the path and away from the palace, heading deep into the forest. Dogs could be heard barking behind them, but the Bandersnatch was faster, and soon all the noises of a chase disappeared, fading away.

The Bandersnatch jumped through a small creek and stopped in a clearing where Alice found Thackery and Nivens waiting with the horses. They'd crossed water, so they should at least be safe for a bit. At least, from the dogs. But it'd take the guards at least two full days to figure out which way they'd gone without the help of the dogs.

Mirana gracefully slid off the beast, taking Mallymkun and Caroline with her, moving to greet Nivens and Thackery, and now Chessur, who'd appeared as well. The twins moved from behind the trees, holding arms of bright looking fruit that looked absolutely delicious.

Tarrant leapt off next, extending a hand to help Alice down. She gave the Bandersnatch a fond scratch behind the ear before it went to plop down next to the horses, curling up in the shade. Alice turned toward Tarrant, who was much closer than she realized – she nearly bumped heads with him.

"Thanks for saving me."

"It was Mirana's idea, and Mallymkun got the petals. I only made you eat them."

Alice made a face of distaste. "And what horrid tasting things they were." She wrinkled her nose and Tarrant grinned.

"Sorry. But it was for your own good. You aren't very nice when you're evil." It was his turn to wrinkle his nose, and Alice laughed. She reached up and tugged the crown out of her hair, looking at it for a long moment with a slight frown, before she pitched it toward the trees, not caring where it landed.

"Did you mean what you said back there?" She asked after a long moment, looking back at Tarrant, who merely nodded, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. She smiled faintly and pulled him into a tight hug as he spoke.

"I've always admired you, Alice, I just didn't realize when those feelings of admiration turned into friendship, and then something more. It's why I can't stand to see you the way you were, all evil and working for the Queen of Hearts. She's a vile woman, and I didn't want you to end up like her."

"But you saved me, so it's okay." Alice said, pulling back to look at him, but her arms remained around his neck in a loose embrace. "I'll never be like either her or Iracebeth. If it's any Queen I become like, it'll be Mirana." She glanced toward said Queen, who was talking with the others still – all of them seemed to be leaving her and Tarrant pointedly alone. "And I do have to say, I admired you too."

"Admired? As in, you used to?" There was a faint trace of disappointment in his tone.

"Well, you see, it changed. Into friendship and something more." She murmured. Before she could say anything more on the matter, however, Tarrant pulled her against him and into a kiss. It was brief, yet sweet, and easily conveyed just how much Tarrant seemed to care for Alice. Alice had never been really in love before. Sure, she'd had a few crushes when she was a teenager, but never fully in love.

As if all at once, she understood how everyone else felt. She'd seen the young couples strolling the streets of London, hardly able to tear their eyes away from each other, walking hand in hand, some of the girls with glittering engagement rings on their fingers. She realized this was what it felt like – that feeling of walking on air, and unable to be pulled back down except by that one person who seemed like your anchor to the world. If they let go, you'd float away. She felt like that now, and if Tarrant let go, she would just float away like a balloon on a windy day.

She pulled him into another tight hug afterwards, stifling a small yawn. Tarrant easily lifted her small form into his arms and carried her over to where Mirana had laid out the blankets they had slept on before, laying her down. He removed his jacket and threw it over her, before lying down beside her, Mirana on his other side. It was growing dark, and they'd have to leave early in the morning. The twins were already asleep on Alice's other side, Caroline safely curled between them, and Mallymkun was curling up in the warm fur of the Bandersnatch.

Alice curled into Hatter's side, throwing his coat over him as well so that they were both covered.

"Love you." She murmured, half asleep as her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off to sleep.

**. . .**

After a quick breakfast of various fruit that the twins had found the night before, they began to travel. Mirana had deemed it safe enough to return to her palace for the time being, so they were headed there. Caroline had literally attached herself to Alice, for fear of being kidnapped again. Alice felt sorry for the entire ordeal she had gone through, and wanted nothing more than to send her home to Margaret, safe and sound.

"Is there any way I can get her home?"

"You'd have to have magic, or the blood of a Jabberwocky. I may have some in my stores at the palace. Or I can have Nivens escort you." Mirana said loftily from her position on the horse. Alice was riding the Bandersnatch again, with Mirana riding one horse, Tarrant and Caroline riding another, and the twins riding the third. Thackery, Chessur, and Nivens had already gone on ahead to make sure the palace was indeed safe.

"You are going to stay this time, right?" Tarrant asked and Alice nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave for anything now." She flashed him a smile, and sighed when she saw Caroline's pout at her. "What's that face for?"

"I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you and Tarrant and Mirana and everybody else. I promise I'll be good!"

"It's not that, Caroline. You're not safe here while those two nasty Queens are running about. We'll get you home safe and sound, and maybe when it's safer you can come visit. Or Tarrant and I will come and visit you." Alice tried to explain, but Caroline continued to pout, folding her arms across her chest, trying to look as angry as she had seen her mother before. Alice sighed, shaking her head, loose curls falling down into her face as she shifted. The dress she wore was starting to annoy her, its constant black and red checkered pattern rather annoying.

There was a long pause before Caroline spoke up.

"Will you and Tarrant take me home then? So I can prove to mommy that I really did come here?" She asked. Alice chewed on her lower lip, then looked at Tarrant, who gave a half shrug.

"Sure. Why not? I've never actually seen where you two are from. Better late than never."

"Unless you're very, very late." Mirana added and Tarrant laughed. Alice smiled, rolling her eyes.

The palace was safe, so the moment they arrived, Caroline was jumping up and down, eager for her trip with Alice and Tarrant. With promises to be back before sundown, they took off with Nivens.

"Just how on Earth do we go up a rabbit hole?" Alice questioned, watching as Tarrant carefully balanced Caroline on his shoulders – she kept reaching up to try and touch the brightly colored leaves of the trees above their heads.

"Very carefully." Nivens replied, his nose twitching. "Getting down here is easy. It's getting up that's the hard part."

"Just lovely."

Alice didn't see much of the process, as Nivens had them all close their eyes. The next thing she knew she was standing at the base of the tree, the rabbit hole just behind her.

"Well that wasn't hard." She murmured.

"Not for you." Nivens said. "I'll wait here. You two take her home."

Alice nodded, beginning to brush the dirt off her dress to at least look somewhat presentable to her sister as they began to walk. She did the same thing to Tarrant, who was still dressed in his masquerade suit. His orange hair stuck out, but otherwise he looked much more normal than if he had been in his usual suit.

"So I take it you're not on good terms with your sister?" Tarrant asked quietly as Caroline ran along the path ahead of them, chasing a yellow butterfly. Alice shrugged.

"I get along with her just fine. It's her husband I'm not on good terms with."

"Why not?"

"He cheats on Margaret with any woman he can get his hands on. It just makes me sick." Alice wrinkled her nose. "Marriage is something that's not meant to be broken, and he goes around like Margaret is just a fling, and not his wife or mother of his child. But it's not my place, so I never say anything."

Tarrant merely frowned, but said no more as Alice turned down the path that wound toward her sister's manor. If they were lucky they could just stop by for a visit, explain that Caroline had been with her, and then leave.

However, the moment Alice rang the doorbell, she knew it would not be the case.

Margaret answered the door, looking a right mess, like she had been crying. Her eyes widened when she saw Alice, and got even wider when she saw Caroline. Alice was briefly aware of being pulled into a tight hug, and Margaret's husband appearing, before being ushered into a parlor.

"Alice I thought you had _died_! I thought you and Caroline had been brutally murdered and were left lying for dead! The police have been looking for you for ages and we never found a trace!" Margaret was almost in hysterics, but she seemed happy, so Alice figured at least she wasn't mad. At least, not yet.

"We got lost in the woods." Alice said as Tarrant stood behind her on the couch she had been pulled onto. She reached for his hand, curling her fingers around his. Her sister seemed to not have noticed him at all yet. "Nothing bad happened. I just wanted to bring her home. I'm going to go home for a bit, freshen up, and then head out. I have a ship leaving that's due to sail to China, so I might be gone for a while." She explained. It was the only excuse she could come up with as to why she wouldn't be returning for a while. Of course, she would really be in Wonderland, but Margaret didn't need to know that. Not like she'd believe it either.

"We've been in the most wonderful place, mother!" Caroline chimed in from the window. "There's talking animals and plants, and good and evil queens, and I was kidnapped and Alice saved me and the Hatter and Mirana!" She rambled, and Margaret sighed.

"You've been telling her stories." She said flatly.

"Sorry. Not much to do when you're lost in the woods. Thankfully, Tarrant found us and led us back to a path." She said, looking up at Tarrant, who only nodded. Margaret's gaze finally flickered to him, taking in his odd look for a moment.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Tarrant, for bringing my sister and niece back to us." She said after a long moment. "How is it you're wearing different clothes though, Alice?"

"Caroline and I fell into the lake. Tarrant found us just after that – he's a hatter, you see, and had several dresses he was going to take apart to use the fabric for hats. So he just let us wear them instead so we didn't catch a cold or something else dreadful." She said, making up things on the spot. Thankfully, her sister seemed to believe it.

"I'm just glad you're back." Margaret drew Alice into a hug. "Is there anything I can do to repay you, Mr. Tarrant?"

"No, I was just happy to help." He smiled brilliantly, and Margaret returned with a small smile of her own.

"All right then. I guess you'll be going?"

"I think you and Caroline should spend some time together. You've been apart too long." Alice said. "But I'll stop by when I get back from China. Promise."

"All right. Take care of yourself, Alice."

"I will."

The minute Tarrant and Alice were out of eyesight of the manor, they began to race back toward the rabbit hole, giggling and laughing the entire time, stumbling and tripping and trying to sabotage the other as they both ran. However, when they reached the small clearing with the tree, they realized something was wrong.

Nivens was digging in the place where the hole should have been, and was swearing loudly. Alice had never heard such words come from the mouth of a rabbit.

"What's happened, Nivens?"

"The hole! It's closed up! We can't get back to Wonderland!"


	9. Help

"This is where you live?"

Alice only nodded as she pushed into the hallway of the Kingsley manor, shutting the door once Tarrant and Nivens had entered, all three of them shivering from the freezing cold. After a good fifteen minutes of all three of them digging and trying to figure out how to get back, Alice had started to freeze from the snow, and had insisted they run back to her own home. They could change, warm up, and figure out a plan.

"It used to be my family's manor, but since my parents are dead and Margaret lives with her husband, I stay here by myself." Alice said. "Nivens, ones of the maids probably already has a fire going if you'd like to warm yourself up. I'll take Tarrant upstairs and get him a change of clothes."

The rabbit nodded and grumpily hopped off toward the parlor. Alice led the way upstairs.

"I thought you lived here alone? Maids?"

"I only have a few, and they don't stay all day. Just long enough to make sure I don't need anything. I'm usually gone all the time on my travels, so I don't really stay long enough to have a full fledged staff." She explained, rounding the corner and down the long hall. She opened the door to her parent's old room, heading for the closet. She hadn't dared move their things, wanting to keep the room as it was. She couldn't even bare to throw out anything that had belonged to them.

"Something of my father's should fit you." She murmured and began to search the closet, emerging with a black suit that looked similar to the one Hatter was already wearing. When she turned toward him, he was admiring a large top hat that had belonged to her father as well. Alice smiled, stifling a laugh. "You can wear that too, if you'd like. I know its not your old hat, but I hope it'll do. You're just not yourself without a hat."

"Thank you, milady." He grinned as she pressed the clothes into his hands.

"Of course, my good sir. I'm going to go change now, so I'll meet you downstairs in the parlor."

She left Tarrant to change and continued down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her. Things were just as she'd left them, her bed perfectly made and everything in its place. She strode toward her wardrobe, pulling out a pale purple dress as she began to strip off the other one. The hem was soaking from the snow, and her shoes were probably ruined because of it, but she didn't care. She tossed them into a heap in the corner, pulling on the purple dress. She merely grabbed another pair of shoes and pair of tea gloves and tucked them under her arm.

After pulling her hair down and running a brush quickly through the curls, she headed back downstairs. Tarrant was already changed - she had been right, her father's suit had fit him rather well. Nivens was nibbling on several crackers on a tray next to a steaming teapot and three cups.

"Sorry. Thought you might like something to warm you up, so I raided your kitchen."

Alice nodded and sat on the sofa next to Tarrant as he poured her a cup of tea, pressing it into her hands. She curled into his side after setting her shoes and gloves aside, resting her head on his shoulder as she stared into the flames.

"So we can't get back into Wonderland. Would the pond I fell through work?"

"Probably not. Once you seal off the rabbit hole, there's only a few ways left to get back, and even I don't know where they are." Nivens murmured. Alice frowned. Well, that wasn't very convenient.

"Who does know where these entrances are?"

"No one. They were forgotten once they weren't needed to be used anymore." Tarrant spoke up. "We'll have to find another entrance and get back before Galarie and Iracebeth do something terrible."

"I have a feeling this is their doing, anyway." Alice grumbled unhappily. Who else would want to keep them from Wonderland? It was just dreadful.

"I don't know how they could be able to seal up the entrances. . . . " Tarrant muttered.

"It's simple, if you know how to do it. You just have to have one of the oracles do something, but persuading them is very hard." Nivens said.

"So in their case, it means they threatened one of the oracles that they'd be beheaded if they didn't seal the entrances."

"Probably. But thankfully, there are still a few left that are unaffected by the oracles' magic."

"Finding them is the problem."

"Exactly."

Alice sighed and nursed her tea, feeling the warmth of it flood her body. She hadn't realized how cold she had been up until that point. She shivered slightly, and Tarrant adjusted to wrap an arm around her, pulling her closer in an attempt to warm her up. She was instantly grateful for the extra body heat.

"Isn't there anyone in this world that knows where one of these entrances are?" Alice asked after a long period of silence between them all.

"Not anyone that I know of." Nivens said, but Tarrant's face suddenly lit up in delight.

"I do!"

Both Nivens and Alice looked at him in alarm.

"Who?"

"Robert." He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing. Nivens eyes widened and he hopped excitedly. Alice frowned. Apparently she was missing just who this 'Robert' was. She didn't like being left out.

"Who's that?"

"An old friend."

**. . .**

London streets were bustling the next morning as Alice walked arm in arm with Tarrant, both of them looking as presentable as ever as they walked along. People brushed past them on their ways to work, others heading to the market. Either way, it was making it difficult for Alice to keep up while Tarrant pulled her along, hurrying her. It wasn't easy, either, as she had a bag throw around her arm, where Nivens was currently hiding. Strolling down London with a rabbit in a waistcoat wouldn't have looked quite right.

"Where are we going?" She asked breathlessly.

"Don't worry. It's just up ahead!" He assured and Alice sighed, nearly stumbling. They walked a few more feet before Tarrant pulled her into a bakery. She frowned slightly.

"A bakery?"

"Sorry, we haven't opened yet!" A voice from the back called. Tarrant let go of Alice, who clutched the bag holding Nivens a bit tighter. There was a squirm in response.

"Oh do come out here Robert. I so much wish to see your face after all these years." Tarrant stated as Alice relented to Nivens' squirming and carefully pulled him out, placing him on the floor. He leapt across the floor and jumped up onto the counter.

"Close the blinds." Tarrant murmured to Alice as there was a lot of banging coming from the back, as if someone had ran into a bunch of metal pans. Alice obeyed and pulled the shades across the windows and door.

"Tarrant Hightopp." It wasn't a question, but a statement as a man rounded the corner. He was young looking, with jet-black hair and rather odd blue eyes that looked almost familiar. He was covered in flour, Alice could see, as he rounded the counter and came around to look at Tarrant. "How long has it been?"

"Time here is not like time there. How long has it been here?"

"Not sure. It was just after Alice left. . . ." The man, Robert, said with a sigh before his gaze flickered toward Alice. "Well, look who's all grown up. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Do I know you?"

"Ah, of course you don't remember. You were about seven, I think, the last time you saw me in Wonderland. Although, you have seen me around here when you used to come in with your mother." He replied. "You may know my wife a bit better."

She studied him for a long moment, realizing why the blue eyes were so familiar. They were similiar to the Queen of Hearts, Galarie's, eyes. She blinked, and a faint memory of the King of Hearts came into her mind.

"Your highness." Alice said flatly. "I must say, you seem much kinder than your wife."

"Much of the reason as to why she banned me from Wonderland." He sighed again. "No loss for me. I like it up here." He looked back to Tarrant. "Why is it I sense you have a problem that only I can help you with?"

"Galarie and Iracebeth sealed the entrances to Wonderland." Alice explained. Robert wrinkled his nose.

"Iracebeth is still alive? It's a wonder how she's managed to live with that big, fat, head of hers." He muttered and Alice stifled a laugh. "But they've sealed all of them?"

"We can't get in anywhere. We were hoping you knew one of the, uh, back ways." Tarrant said. Robert arched an eyebrow, leaning against the counter as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I remember where one is, but how do you know they haven't sealed that one off too?"

"Because they used an oracle to do it. Oracles' magic doesn't work on the back ways." Nivens said. "Although, I suspect your ex-wife doesn't know that. Nor her sister. Mirana probably does, though. Hopefully they won't force it out of her."

"I always did like Mirana." Robert said fondly. "How is she?"

"She was well when we last saw her." Alice said, noting this man seemed to get distracted rather easily. "I was her champion - this whole thing started because of me. I killed Iracebeth's jabberwocky, and gained the crown back for her, and Mirana banished Iracebeth, who teamed up with your ex-wife to try and take over Wonderland. We need to get back so I can stop them."

"Well, this is quite the predicament then, isn't it?" He mused. "I suppose I can show you, on one condition."

"What would that be?"

"I'm going to come back to Wonderland one last time, with you. I want to help you - I know more about Galarie's weaknesses than anyone else." He stated. "Although, this is a one time thing. I do have a bakery to get back to."

"Of course. We'd appreciate any help you gave us."

"Well then, we better get going." Robert grinned. "Let me get my coat."


	10. Chess

It was growing dark as they walked through the streets, almost on the other side of London now. There were few people on the streets - most normal people were indoors, warmed by the fires, enjoying dinner with their families. Alice had her arm hooked through Tarrant's as Robert led them, Nivens balanced in his arms, pink nose wriggling as he glanced around rather nervously.

"Where are we going again?" Alice asked and Robert glanced back at her, smiling.

"Big Ben." He replied, nodding toward the tall clock, not far ahead. She frowned slightly. "You're not going to like what we have to do, but if you can jump down a rabbit hole, you'll be fine."

"What exactly is it we have to do?"

"Jump off the clock."

Alice paled as the wind picked up around them. Jump off the clock? Was he CRAZY? The fall would kill them. . . .

She was shaking slightly as they stepped up to the clock. The door was locked, but Robert swiped his hand once across the lock and it clicked, the door swinging open. Alice frowned.

"How did you do that?"

"I still retain some magic from Wonderland. It's why my bread tastes so good." He grinned and Alice almost laughed. The warmth of the old clock was welcoming, and Alice was glad to finally be out of the cold. Through another door and they were faced with stairs that seemed to stretch up into forever. "Just up here. We have to be almost to the top."

They began up the stairs, Alice hiking up her skirts as they climbed, higher and higher. Her legs began to burn and ache, but she continued anyway. If this worked and they got back to Wonderland, it would be worth it. But if it didn't - they'd hit the ground and die.

How pleasant.

They reached a ladder at the top and Robert climbed up first, pushing open a door at the top. Alice followed, Nivens' carefully balanced on her shoulder now. His nails dug into her bare shoulders and she hissed. He murmured a quiet apology in her ear as Robert reached down and helped her through. Tarrant came through afterwards, and Robert shut the door.

They were standing on a catwalk, surrounded by the large gears that controlled the clock. It was odd, being inside of it, but now was not a time for a tour. Robert was hurrying across the catwalk toward the end, where there was a row of several small windows below the clock face.

"Workers use these to get onto the outside of the clock to clean it." He explained. "I've just got to remember which window the hole is under . . . ."

"You don't remember?!" Nivens cried and Robert shushed him, seemingly counting something. He decided on the third window, pushing it open and ducking out onto the ledge. He grabbed Nivens, holding tight to him.

"Just close your eyes when you jump. You'll fall halfway down, and then into Wonderland. If this is the right door."

"And if it's not?"

"We hit the ground and die."

Alice shuddered slightly. Tarrant wrapped a tight arm around her as Robert finally jumped. They waited a long moment before Tarrant stepped out onto the ledge, leading Alice by the hand. She nearly stumbled and fell, but he caught her. They exchanged a long glanced before he pulled her into his arms.

They stepped off.

Alice screamed - she couldn't help it. It was frightening, freefalling. But after almost two minutes of it, she realized they had not hit the ground. She opened her eyes - they were free-falling down a hole. It was similar to the rabbit hole she had fallen through twice, however, the junk floating around them was much older, aged, and antique like. It looked extremely old, and Alice was almost afraid if they bumped into any of it, it'd turn to dust.

Tarrant laughed from beside her, his grip lessening slightly. Her fingers curled around his as they fell, a smile on her face. It'd worked. They were going back.

Alice slammed into the ground on top of Tarrant a split second later - they'd landed in a clearing in the middle of the forest.

"Sorry." Alice said to Tarrant as she rolled off him, sitting up on her knees.

"I'm fine. My back broke the fall." He said and she smiled apologetically. He got to his feet and helped her up. They dusted themselves off, and Alice looked around.

Statues lined the area, most of them old and covered in moss. Robert was looking at them, clearing off the moss and dirt, while Nivens scampered around, looking at the broken pieces on the ground. Alice counted - there were 12 statues, all of young women. A non-working and decrepit fountain sat in the center of the clearing, the marble cracked and shattered like the statues.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"Used to be a shrine." Robert replied, pulling moss off the least damaged one. She frowned, realizing the statue was of Mirana.

"For what?"

"Every statue represents a queen of Wonderland. The good ones, that is." Tarrant explained. "This place is considered sacred. At least, it was. It looks like it hasn't been cared for since Iracebeth took over."

"Mirana," Robert stood in front of the White Queen's statue, then moved to the next, moving in a circle. "Juliana, Henley, Petria, Liyna, Genevive, Ophelia, Dellia, Sella, Rosella, Felicity, and Willow." He recited each of their names, before stopping in front of a slab of marble that Alice hadn't noticed before. It was between Willow and Mirana, where she supposed the queen after Mirana would go. Robert suddenly smiled.

"Alice."

"What?"

He pointed to the slab of concrete. Alice let go of Tarrant's hand, stepping forward. She knelt for a moment, sweeping the tall grass out of the way, frowning slightly. Her name was etched into the base of the stone, where the other Queen's names had been.

"How is that possible?"

"The oracles foretell each queen. This was obviously added a long time ago. You'll be reigning queen on day."

"Does that mean Mirana dies?"

"No, not necessarily. Only three of these queens died, most from accidents or they went to the other world and aged. Most of them just choose to retire. When I spoke to Mirana last, she was considering it."

"What if I don't want to be Queen?"

Robert didn't reply, only glanced toward the sky.

"Let's get going. If we hurry, we can make it to her castle before dark."

Chessur met up with them not long afterward, making sure they were going the right way. The turrets came into view, and Alice was never so relieved to see them. They had really made it back - now came the hard part: fighting Iracabeth and Galarie.

"Robert!" Mirana cried, embracing him tightly as they approached. "It's so good to see you!"

"The pleasure is mine, your highness. You haven't changed a bit."

"And you got old."

He laughed, and Mirana looked at Alice and Tarrant.

"Glad to have you two back. We must form a plan of attack immediately. I do hope you have some ideas, Robert."

"I have a few."

**. . .**

**Night fell, and Alice found herself wandering the gardens in a pale sundress borrowed from Mirana, and barefoot. White roses surrounded her, their wonderful smell filling the air as she walked through the maze of well kept hedges. Would this be her gardens at some point? If it was true, that she would be Queen of Wonderland, the gardens would be hers. The whole kingdom would be hers, to protect and serve. It was a bit of a scary thought, the more she thought about it, but after all the good she had done for the land before, it wouldn't be too much of a challenge. **

**At least she had no annoying sisters to try and take over.**

**She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turning another corner. Lights came on - they reminded her of the kind people put on Christmas trees, the strands that seemed to tangle quicker than anything. But these lights moved - several of them swarmed her and she noticed that they were little fairy creatures that seemed to emit some sort of light, almost like lightening bugs. They danced around the roses and hedges, lighting up the place in a colorful array of light. **

"**You should be in bed."**

**She hadn't heard Tarrant come up behind her, but she slipped her arm through his, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked together.**

"**I know."**

"**Its going to be a long day tomorrow." He continued. She nodded - they'd come up with a plan, and everyone in the castle was praying that it would work. They would leave before dawn the next morning, marching straight across the chessboard desert to Galarie's palace.**

"**I'm worried." She said finally, glancing up at him. "I'm afraid someone is going to get hurt."**

"**People are probably going to die." Hatter confirmed quietly. "But if you truly love someone, they never really leave you, even in death. And that's why you send the pawns first."**

"**Sending people to their deaths is not what I want."**

"**Pawns do not care if they live or die. In fact, they are created to be prepared to die. Haven't you ever played chess?"**

"**Not often enough." **

**They turned another corner and stopped - farther down, Mirana and Robert were walking together, talking in quiet tones. Mirana was smiling, her arm hooked through Robert's. She laughed, her wind-chime laughter echoing across the hedges. Alice only smiled, and tugged Tarrant to the next row of roses, leaving the two to their peace.**

"**Did Robert like Mirana?" Alice asked Tarrant, who smiled, nodding.**

"**A long time ago. Although, they never got to talk much, since his wife was always fighting with her sister."**

"**Wonderland has too many fights. If and when I'm queen, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen."**

"**That's a good idea. The people and creatures of Wonderland are quite tired of all this fighting. It's destroying families and homes." Something Alice couldn't quite place flashed in his eyes, turning them a soft amber in color before they returned to green. She frowned, but said nothing about it.**

"**I don't blame them. I thought our wars were bad . . . ."**

**They walked in silence for a long moment, reaching the center of the gardens. There was a large fountain with crystal clear water sprinkling from it - several of the fairy creatures were dancing around it, casting glowing lights all across the water. Tarrant and Alice sat down on the edge - she absentmindedly dragged her fingers through the water.**

"**Are you going to stay this time?"**

**Alice looked up at Tarrant.**

"**Hm?"**

"**Stay? In Wonderland?"**

**Alice pondered. She hadn't thought about staying at all. But after a long moment, she nodded, squeezing his hand reassuringly.**

"**Of course. Nothing could make me leave now."**

"**Good. That means you won't leave when I do this."**

**She was about to ask what, but Tarrant suddenly knocked her into the fountain. It was deeper than she expected, the water coming up to her knees when she scrambled to her feet, completely drenched. Tarrant only grinned happily, but that faded into a wary look as she stepped toward him.**

"**No, not with the hat! The felt will shrink!" He cried, managing to toss the hat to safety before she tackled him into the water. Water fell on them from above as they bother surfaced, Alice laughing. Tarrant pulled her into a kiss as the water fell on them, the fairy lights continuing to dance around them. **

**He broke the kiss long enough to dunk her back into the water. Spluttering, Alice surfaced to find him climbing out of the fountain, taking off down one of the rows. She stumbled out of the water and took off after him, chasing him through the gardens.**

**As planned, they left before dawn the next morning, the four of them on horses. They were leading the march of Mirana's chess soldiers - there seemed to be more than there had been last time.**

**Alice's stomach was a bundle of butterflies, her nerves on edge as they rode through the forest, breaking through to the stretch of desert - she understood why they called it the chessboard desert. Squares of black and white sands alternated, their edges blurred where the sands mixed. It was quite odd to see, but at least it wasn't as hot as most of the deserts back home seemed to be. It was humid, and very dry, but there were no sandstorms and the heat was tolerable.**

"**We'll be at her palace within the hour." Robert announced. "Everyone remember the plan?"**

"**Yes." Alice chorused with the others. She looked down - her hands were shaking. The vorpal sword was tucked into a sheath around her waist - she'd managed to fit back into her armor again, the metal slightly more tighter and a bit uncomfortable. But she ignored it - she'd strip it off once this was over and done with.**

**Chessur came up beside her, floating lazily.**

"**You owe me on, Alice." He drawled and she rolled her eyes.**

"**Fine. But don't screw this up. It's the only chance we have.**

**Chessur only chuckled and disappeared, reappearing on the back of Mirana's horse as he hitched a ride.**

**The only sound was the noise of thousands of feet hitting sand as they continued up a sand dune. However, Alice jerked her horse to a halt when they reached the top. The others followed suit.**

**In front of them lay an entirely flat square of white sand. They lined up at the edge. Across the way, another black square of sand lay, and at the outer edge of it, there were familiar shapes.**

**Iracebeth and Galarie rode two black horses the color of the sand itself. They were flanked with red and black soldiers, all armed and looking dangerous. They hadn't expected a full meet and greet. Alice glanced at Tarrant, then to Mirana, and to Robert, all of who stared at the group ahead. This was not good.**

**It was Tarrant who finally broke the silence.**

"**I think we need a change of plans." **

**Alice slid down from her horse, and stepped around so she was blocked from view. Chessur morphed into her, armor and all, coming back into view and climbing on top of the horse. Alice pulled the black cape around herself that she had borrowed from Mirana, making sure to hide her face well enough. She could blend in with Mirana's soldiers for now.**

**When she turned, she nearly ran into Hatter, who had dismounted. He was looking at her very seriously.**

"**Alice, be careful." He whispered. "I don't want to lose you."**

"**You won't. I'll see you as soon as this is over." She muttered and moved to turn, but he grabbed her and pulled her into another kiss. She could have stood there forever, but forced herself to pull away. It had to be done.**

"**Promise me something." He said quickly and Alice nodded.**

"**Anything."**

"**Bring this back to me."**

"**What?" She watched as he removed a ring from his pocket. It was silver, and when he slid it onto her finger, the stone changed from clear to a deep purple in color. **

"**It's for good luck. You're going to need it." He said. "Promise me, Alice."**

"**I promise." She whispered. "I'll come back."**

**Alice Kingsley did not break promises.**

**He nodded and acting as if nothing had happened, climbed back up onto his horse. Alice stood there for a long moment, watching as the ring swirled with colors before settling on a dark red shade. Calming herself and trying not to think about what would happen if she didn't come back, she removed the sword from its holster at her waist, adjusting the grip in her hand. **

**Mirana gave the order to march forward as her sister's did on the other side.**

**This was going to be an ugly game of chess.**


	11. End

_Please take notice that something did change in the last chapter - just toward the end, about the ring. It's important to this chapter, so go back and read it!_

Alice's hand was trembling around the handle of the sword as she marched forward, the hood pulled up around her face to conceal herself. Chessur rode regally on top of her horse, impersonating her as they headed for the center of what was to be the battle field. The Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts led their soldiers forward, and finally, both sides came to a stop.

"This is going to get messy." Chessur murmured, glancing at Mirana, Iracabeth, and Galarie rode off to the back of the battlefield, away from where the fighting was to take place. Silence filled the air, a wind blowing up dust and sand around them.

"Mirana, I think we ought to do this by the old rules!" Galarie called, voice carrying over the wind. There was a moment's pause. Old rules? What old rules? What was she talking about?

"Very well. Mark the board and pick your players." Mirana called back. When she continued, she was addressing their side only. "Stand down, all of you. Tarrant, you and the real Alice will be playing King and Queen. Robert, I want you as the Queen's side castle. Chessur, you'll be with me in helping plot moves. The rest of you - you know your places." She announced. Alice looked around, tugging off the cloak and letting her sword drop.

"What?" Tarrant had jumped down from his horse, and he nodded toward the would-be battlefield. It had been marked out like a smaller chessboard in white and red spaces. Galarie's soldiers were lining up on her orders, and on the King and Queen's space, stood the Knave and Iracabeth, prepared to fight. Tarrant linked his fingers with Alice's, leading her forward to stand on the spaces.

They were going to play a real game of chess.

Although, Alice had the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was not like ordinary chess.

If you lost, you died.

Tarrant's hand was wrapped around hers as they stood on two separate places, the King and Queen. The other pieces sat out before them - she glanced toward the very end where Robert stood. Galarie had noticed him, and was smiling maliciously.

"White moves first." Tarrant muttered.

Alice heard nothing, as the pawn in front of Tarrant moved one space forward. Could they hear Mirana's thoughts?

She looked out across the board - the black pawn at the edge of the board moved two spaces forward.

As if on some sudden urge, Alice found herself walking across the board, past the white pawn that had moved, her hand dropping from Tarrant's. She moved diagonal to where she now stood opposite of the black pawn on the other side of the board. She frowned - she'd never seen the queen moved so early in a game before. She stood there on the square, trembling for a long moment as another black pawn moved, directly into the path of the bishop Mirana had now ordered across the board by three spaces.

The bishop took it's sword and cut the pawn in half. Two black pawns that had not been playing ran onto the board and removed it's body, clearing the space for the bishop to stand there.

There was a long pause, and Alice looked around - no black pawn had moved. Galarie was glaring at Mirana, who was smiling broadly.

"I never did bother to remember mother's moves. It seems you have." Galarie said in a normal tone, but her voice carried. "Very well."

Her knight moved, and Alice felt the urge to move overcome her once more. She was approaching a pawn close to the King and Queen, so she pulled her sword out, and as she approached, her sword sliced through the pawn with ease. The two black pawns from before stepped forward and grabbed the pieces, leaving her standing on a space surrounded by two pawns and the king's side bishop. She was diagonal to the Knave now, who was glaring at her ferociously.

"Checkmate." Mirana's light voice called happily. "You lose, sisters. Mother's tactics were always quite wonderful - such a shame you never learned how to stop them." She sighed. "Now, you will be taken into custody and await your trials."

"Like hell." Galarie said and galloped across the board on her horse, toward Alice. She grabbed the girl by the hair - Alice screamed, her sword dropping from her hand as Galarie reached for her own sword. "Say goodbye you wretched little thing!" She hissed. Alice winced as her hair was tugged tighter, the sword blade headed right for her neck -

- there was suddenly a gunshot, echoing all around. Alice jumped, and it took her a long moment to figure out it had not been her that was shot. The hand on her hair loosened, and she looked up, watching Galarie's limp body fall sideways off her horse, hitting the sand. The horse, spooked, ran off away from the noise. Alice looked down at her fallen body - a gunshot wound to the chest, the blood blooming across the front of her dress.

When Alice looked at him, Robert was sliding his gun back into his belt.

Pawns moved to subdue Iracabeth and the Knave, tackling them both to the sand. Alice's heart was pounding somewhere within her chest, feeling like it might just jump right out. She tried to calm herself - arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight hug. She buried her face in Tarrant's chest, shaking.

"It's okay. It's over."

**. . .**

When Alice awoke, it was to the sound of birds just outside her window, and a warm arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She rolled over and buried her face into Tarrant's side, ignoring the rough fabric of his shirt. Her dress was tangled around her legs with the blankets, but she kicked them away.

"Sleep okay?" He asked, tugging his fingers gently through her hair as she rested her head on his chest.

"I could have slept another three years, but I'll manage."

"Good. We've got an execution date after morning tea."

Mirana had decided instead of banning her sister and the Knave, they would be executed. She wasn't going to take the chance. Alice thought that was a good plan, too, so they would never have to worry about the horror of the two evil sisters again.

"I'll go downstairs and tell them you'll be down in a bit." Tarrant kissed her forehead and extracted himself from her arms, grabbing his coat off the bedpost and tugging it on, as well as his hat. Alice smiled, watching him leave. She lifted her hand up - the ring he had given her glowed a faint pink in color, glinting off the early morning sun streaming in her window.

She changed into another one of Mirana's old gowns, this one pink, and ran a comb through her hair, letting it hang as she walked the halls of the beautiful white palace. There were voices coming from the parlor as she turned down one hall, so she headed that direction, not surprised to find the others already having morning tea.

"Good morning, Alice." Robert greeted from where he sat next to Mirana - she noticed their hands together on top of the table.

"Good morning." Alice said, stifling a yawn as she moved to sit between Tarrant and Thackery, who was already slinging his sugar around. Bayard growled softly in his sleep by the fireplace and she smiled fondly. Mallymkin sat on top of an overturned tea cup, holding her own tiny one, and Chessur lazily lounged on the chandelier up above.

Everything seemed right.

She poured herself a cup of tea as Robert nudged Mirana - they were hiding something, it seemed, and Mirana kept glancing between Robert and Alice. Finally, she sighed heavily, her hands clenching and unclenching around the fabric of her dress.

"Go on, Mirana. Tell her." Robert urged. "She already knows, anyway. Too observant for her own good."

Mirana closed her eyes for a long moment, before getting to her feet. "Alice, would you join me for a walk in the gardens?"

"Of course."

There was an awkward silence between the two as they walked out to the gardens together. It had rained during the night, so everything was still wet and sparkling in the sunlight. It smelled fresh, the floral aroma filling the air everywhere.

"I'm going to step down, Alice." Mirana finally sat, hands clasped behind her back as she looked over at Alice. "I want you to take over for me. You'll rule Wonderland as it's queen, and with hardly any threats anymore, it shouldn't be too hard. You'd make such a wonderful queen, Alice. I believe that leaving Wonderland in your hands is the best thing I can do. Tarrant will be there to help you, of course, as will the others."

"Where are you going?"

She looked up at the sky for a long moment, a small smile on her face.

"I'm returning to the Aboveground with Robert the day after next. I'll make sure everything is in order here, first, of course, but then I'll be gone. But I'll make sure to come back and visit." She assured. Alice nodded. She'd be a queen tomorrow. It wasn't too much of a shock at that very moment, but she guessed that full reality of the situation hadn't sank in yet.

"And I want to know the moment you and Tarrant decide on a date so I can arrange to be back here."

Alice frowned. "Date for what?"

"When you get married, of course."

Alice blinked at her, stopping for a long moment. "Excuse me?"

Mirana stopped walking, looking at her with a smile. She nodded down to the ring that adorned Alice's finger. "You're wearing his ring."

"He gave it to me for good luck."

"We have different traditions here, Alice. As long as you have that ring on your finger, you and him are engaged to be married. No asking is required."

She was going to have to have a talk with Tarrant Hightopp.

Mirana smiled awkwardly.

"Well, we can worry about that later. I think we have an execution to attend."

Most of Wonderland had to be gathered in the large field that stretched out behind the palace. It would not be a normal execution - Galarie's body had been laid upon the flames, as had the Knave's, who had been beheaded that morning. Iracabeth was chained to a long pole coming out of the soon to be bonfire. She would be burned alive.

Alice didn't like death. But watching her die would be one more thing less to worry about.

"Light it." Mirana ordered from where she stood at the front of the crowd with Alice, Tarrant, and Robert. Alice looked sideways at Tarrant who was staring at the rising flames intently.

"You and I need to talk, mister." She muttered under her breath. Tarrant only gave her a half smile, never taking his eyes away from the fire.

Iracabeth's screams filled the air, and Alice had to look away.

The party started once Iracabeth's body had been burned to ash. Music came from somewhere, and people began to dance happily around the fire. Tables were set up, food and drinks were served, and people celebrated the deaths of the two that had terrorized their country.

Amidst the chaos, Mirana managed to calm them down long enough to announce that Alice would be the new queen, and placed her own crown on the girl's head, before tottering back over toward Robert, half drunk. Alice found the sight rather amusing.

"What was that about needing to talk?" Tarrant asked, approaching her with a glass of champagne that she took happily. She tugged him away from the noise to speak with him.

"Mirana said you and I were engaged."

"We are." He replied with a shrug.

"You didn't tell me that?"

"You were about to go into battle. I didn't think it the best choice to tell you that."

"You didn't tell me earlier?"

"Don't you want to marry me, Alice? Is that why you're so worried?" He asked, face falling ever so slightly. Alice took a drink from her glass before setting it aside, reaching for his hands, curling her fingers around his.

"Don't say that, Tarrant. Of course I want to. It's just I'm not used to not being informed I'm engaged." She said slowly, leaning up to kiss him. "I couldn't think of anything better than to marry you, okay? So don't even think for a moment that I don't want to."

He grinned and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Come on, Queen Alice. Let's dance."


End file.
